I  EXHORT  therefore,  that,  first  of 
all,  supplications,  prayers,  inter- 
cessions, and  giving  of  thanks,  be 
made  for  all  men;  for  kings,  and  for 
all  that  are  in  authority;  that  we  may 
lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable  life  in  all 
godliness  and  honesty.  For  this  is 
good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of 
God  our  Saviour;  who  will  have  all 
men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  unto 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  For 
there  is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator 
between  God  and  men,  the  Man  Christ 
Jesus;  Who  gave  Himself  a  ransom 
for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due  time. 

ASK,  and  it  shall  be  given  you; 
seek,  and  ye  shall  find;  knock,  and  it 
shall  be  opened  unto  you:  for  every 
one  that  asketh  receiveth;  and  he  that 
seeketh  findeth;  and  to  him  that 
knocketh  it  shall  be  opened. 

I  Tim.  ii.  i-6. 
Matt.  vii.  7-8. 


fcibtar^  of  the  theolojical  ^^emmarj) 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

The  EPtate  of  the 
Rev.  John  B.  Wiedlns-er 

BV  210  .F55  1914 

Fleming,  G.  Granger. 

The  dynamic  of  all-prayer 


THE  LORD  JESUS  CHRIST 
prayed  these  words:  "Holy 
Father,  keep  through  Thine 
Ov^n  Name  those  whom  Thou  hast 
given  Me,  that  they  may  be  one,  as 
We  are.  While  I  was  with  them  in 
the  world,  I  kept  them  in  Thy  name: 
those  that  Thou  gavest  Me  I  have 
kept,  and  none  o£  them  is  lost,  but  the 
son  of  perdition;  that  the  Scripture 
might  be  fulfilled." 

*        *        * 

"NEITHER  pray  I  for  these  alone, 
but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe 
on  Me  through  their  word;  that  they 
all  may  be  one;  as  Thou,  Father,  art 
in  Me,  and  I  in  Thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  Us:  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me.  And 
the  glory  which  Thou  gavest  Me  I 
have  given  them;  that  they  may  be 
One,  even  as  We  are  One:  I  in  them, 
and  Thou  in  Me,  that  they  may  be 
made  perfect  in  one;  and  that  the 
world  may  know  that  Thou  hast  sent 
Me,  and  hast  loved  them,  as  Thou 
hast  loved  Me.  Father,  I  will  that 
they  also,  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me, 
be  with  Me  where  I  am;  that  they 
may  behold  My  glory,  which  Thou 
hast  given  Me:  for  Thou  lovedst  Me 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world." 
John  xvii.  11-12,  20-24. 


THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 


THE  DYNAl^IC       ,^ 
OF  ALL-PRAY^Rj^l^ 


AN  ESSAY  IN  ANALYSIS  BY 
G.  GRANGER  FLEMING 

LICENTIATE   OF  THE  ROYAL  INSTITUTE 
OF  BRITISH  ARCHITECTS 


WITH  AN   INTRODUCTION  BY 

THE  REV.   ANDREW  MURRAY,  D.D. 

AUTHOR    OF 

"  THE  PRAYER-LIFE,"      "  THE  SECRET   OF  INTERCESSION  '* 

"  WITH  CHRIST  IN  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRAYER,"   ETC. 


HODDER  &  STOUGHTON 

NEW  YORK 

GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


To  THE  Memory  of  my  Grandfather 

JOHN   FLEMING 
for  many  years    Secretary  of    the 
GLASGOW  YOUNG  MEN'S  SOCIETY 
FOR   RELIGIOUS    IMPROVEMENT 
IN  the  direct  inheritance  of  whose 

prayers    I  AND  mine  HAVE  THE  BLESSED- 
NESS TO  BE. 


INTRODUCTION 

T  HAVE  been  requested  by  the  author  of  this 
hook  to  write  and  express  my  opinion  of  its 
value,  I  have  very  great  pleasure  indeed  in  doing  so. 
I  believe  that  it  has  been  given  him  of  God  so  to  state 
the  case  for  Prayer  as  will  open  the  eyes  of  many  to 
a  new  vision  of  its  place  and  power  in  God's  great 
scheme  of  redemption.  The  honour  to  which  God 
calls  us  as  intercessors  is  simply  inconceivable.  All 
heaven  is  waiting  for  the  prayers  of  His  Church  to 
bring  down  the  blessings  that  are  stored  up  there  for 
uSj  and  that  God  is  longing  to  bestow. 

If  ministers  and  Christians  could  but  be  brought 
to  realize  that  God  has  actually  made  the  coming  of 
His  Kingdom  and  the  pouring  down  of  blessing ,  so 
that  there  shall  not  be  room  to  receive  it,  dependent 
on  our  faithfulness  in  prayer,  they  surely  would  be- 
gin to  feel  that  Prayer  is,  in  very  deed,  the  highest 
expression  of  our  allegiance  to  God  and  the  chief 
power  that  we  can  exercise  in  bringing  Christ's  sal- 
vation to  men.    If  people  can  only  be  got  to  read  and 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

think  out  carefully  the  message  this  book  contains^  I 
feel  confident  it  will  lead  many  a  one,  not  only  to 
acknowledge  that  he  has  a  new  insight  into  what 
Prayer  is,  but  deliberately  to  yield  himself  to  Christ 
as  one  of  His  holy  priesthood  through  whom  the 
blessings  of  God's  grace  are  to  be  dispensed  to  the 
world. 

I  fervently  pray  that  God  may  abundantly  bless 
the  perusal  to  His  Children,  and  bring  many  of  them 
to  feel  that  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives,  they  have 
entered  upon  their  high  calling  as  links  between  the 
throne  of  God  and  the  souls  of  men. 

ANDREW  MURRAY 

Wellington 
iSth  July,  1 9 14 


FOREWORD 

THE  conception  of  Prayer  has  generally  been 
that  it  is  an  extraordinary  power  or  agent. 
The  growing  conception  of  to-day  is  that  it  is  one 
of  the  ordinary  forces. 

This  is  not  to  belittle  it.  Rather  is  it  to  give  it 
place  beside  those  mighty  forces  and  agents  which 
are  fundamental  and  elemental.  Prayer  is  an  in- 
tegral part  of  the  cosmos.  It  is  the  spiritual  "token 
of  exchange,"  whereby  the  commodities  of  the  un- 
seen are  brought  into  the  possession  of  Man,  who 
lives  both  in  the  unseen  and  the  seen. 

To-day  the  world  is  short  of  Prayer.  Heaven 
cannot  empty  itself  because  there  does  not  exist  suf- 
ficient of  this  "medium  of  exchange."  We  wish 
Heaven's  blessings,  and  so  we  must  learn  more  about 
Prayer  and  about  its  practice. 

The  compelling  motive  of  the  writing  of  this  book 
has  been  that  I  might  get  to  know  more  fully  the  in- 
ner working  life,  and  philosophy  of  this  force  of 

ix 


X  FOREWORD 

Prayer,  and  that  others  also  might  share  with  me  in 
any  new  light  received. 

May  the  Holy  Spirit  whose  aid  in  the  preparation 
has  been  sought  and  obtained,  use  it  to  the  glory  of 
God,  and  to  the  service  of  Church  and  People! 
Amen. 

G.  GRANGER  FLEMING 


CONTENTS 

Pagb 

Dedication v 

Introduction     by    the    Rev.     Dr.    Andrew 
Murray vii 

Foreword ix 

Contents xi 

Introduction — Back  to  the  Trenches xiii 

I.    The  Desire  for  Prayer 17 

II.    The  Final  Incentive 23 

III.  The  Functional  Character  OF  Prayer  31 

IV.  Staying  and  Waiting 39 

V.    Prayer  :  A  World  Factor 47 

VI.  Prayer  :  A  Process 53 

VII.  Kings  and  Priests 61 

VIII.  Finding  Expression 69 

IX.  The  Transmutation  OF  THE  Visible  .. .  79 

X.  The  Unveiling  of  the  Invisible 87 

XI.  The  Godward  Side  of  Prayer 95 

XII.  The  Enlargement  of  God's  Sphere...  103 

XIII.  The  Spirit  of  Prayer 109 

XIV.  Prayer  Cumulative 117 

XV.  In  the  School  of  Prayer 127 


xii  CONTENTS 

Page 

XVI.    Corporate  Expression 137 

XVII.    Full  Assurance 145 

XVIII.    Expenditure  and  Recoupment 153 

XIX.     Mystical  Prayer 163 

XX.    Reasons  for  Non-Prayer 169 

XXI.     In  the  Workshop  of  Prayer 179 

XXII.  The  Burning  Heart 187 

XXIII.  The  Practice  of  Prayer 193 

XXIV.  Prayer  and  Faith 203 

XXV.    All-Prayer 211 


INTRODUCTION 
BACK  TO  THE  TRENCHES 

WHEN  the  Duke  of  Wellington  was  con- 
fronted by  the  mighty  army  of  France, 
under  Massena,  he  cautiously  withdrew  his  forces. 
Back  and  back,  and  yet  farther  back,  until  at  last  he 
had  retired  to  the  lines  of  Torres  Vedras,  where  he 
made  his  stand.  No  farther  back  now,  for  the  posi- 
tion was  practically  impregnable.  So  thought  the 
French  General  also,  for  he  soon  began  to  withdraw, 
and  then  was  Wellington's  time  to  advance,  which 
he  did  to  such  good  purpose  that  France  soon  had  to 
evacuate  the  territories. 

A  similar  thing  has  occurred  in  recent  times.  In 
the  Balkan  War  the  Turkish  army,  broken  at  Lule 
Burgas  and  kept  on  the  move,  took  refuge  at  last  in 
the  lines  of  Chatalja.  To  those  trenches  they  prob- 
ably owed  the  fact  that  Constantinople  was  not  then 
captured  and  that  they  were  in  some  measure  able  to 
retrieve  their  position. 

xiii 


XIV  BACK  TO  THE  TRENCHES 

There  is  an  analogous  position  in  the  rehgious 
world.  In  19 lo  we  had  a  world-wide  Missionary 
Conference.  This  was  held  with  the  purpose  of  an 
advance  on  all  the  enemies*  outposts.  There  was 
great  enthusiasm  and  an  evidence  of  splendid  organ- 
ization. One  great  note  of  weakness  was,  however, 
struck.  The  Churches  were  prepared  to  invade  the 
world,  but  it  was  found  that  they  were  incapable  of 
holding  their  own  in  their  present  centres  in  propor- 
tion to  the  increase  of  population.  Everywhere  is 
the  sense  of  need  felt.    How  shall  it  be  met? 

We  must  get  back  to  the  trenches !  Back  to  where 
we  are  sure.  Back  to  the  Word  of  God,  back  to 
Prayer,  back  to  cultivation  of  the  inner  life.  The 
Christian  in  his  trench  need  fear  no  foe.  Given  to 
Prayer  and  meditation,  he  is  more  than  equal  to  all 
that  can  come  upon  him. 

What  is  wanted  to-day  is  more  intensity,  more 
reality,  more  of  the  hidden  work  of  grace.  If  we 
get  right  with  God  we  shall  soon  be  right  with  men. 
If  we  become  men  of  the  Word  and  of  Prayer,  we 
shall  soon  prove  our  worth  in  the  field  of  action  and 
practical  service. 


THE  DESIRE  FOR  PRAYER 


THE  DESIRE  FOR  PRAYER 

THERE  is  that  in  me  which  draws  me  towards 
Prayer.  Moreover,  the  hopes  excited  are  such 
as  to  press  its  claims.  There  is  such  a  rich  promise 
of  a  harvest.  The  uttering  of  a  prayer,  the  attain- 
ment of  some  important  result — if  this  be  the  con- 
nection then  surely  I  desire  to  pray. 

On  the  surface  it  seems  such  a  simple  matter.  In- 
stead of  having  to  toil  and  wrestle,  it  is  supposed 
that  we  need  simply  ask  and  as  certainly  receive. 

Now  it  is  because  of  this  seeming  simplicity  that 
the  average  mind  does  not  feel  reconciled  to  the  idea 
of  Prayer.  There  appears  to  be  something  foreign 
about  it,  something  which  does  not  fit  in  with  our 
ideas  of  common  laws,  such  as  those  of  cause  and 
effect.  Because  it  offers,  or  seems  to  offer,  a  way 
out  of  difficulties  which  appear  to  be  too  easy  we 
are  apt  to  discount  its  operations,  and  to  regard  it  as 
mainly  a  theoretical  proposition. 

Aye,  pray  and  pray,  say  the  public,  but  after  all 
17 


18       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

you  will  have  to  get  down  to  hard  work.  You  may 
maintain  that  you  can  remove  mountains  by  Prayer, 
but  we  find,  say  they,  that  we  get  best  results  from 
the  use  of  dynamite. 

All  agree  that  there  are  difficulties  to  be  met  and 
conquered.  The  mountains  are  no  doubt  there.  The 
evidence  of  their  existence  is  too  palpable.  But  can 
Prayer  remove  them,  or  is  dynamite  required? 
And  if  dynamite,  is  there  any  place  for  Prayer  at 
all?  Is  the  explosive  and  operative  agent  to  be  a 
blend  of  dynamite  and  Prayer,  or  is  the  latter  suffi- 
cient in  itself  to  do  the  work? 

The  mountains  are  certainly  there.  Mankind  is 
always  confronted  by  difficulties.  The  spiritual 
man,  like  the  natural,  is  matched  against  foes.  They 
are  of  no  mean  order.  They  tower  above  and 
threaten  to  crush  him.  The  armies  of  Israel  have 
many  a  Goliath  to  make  them  afraid.  The  simple, 
strong  soul  of  the  shepherd-lad  David  is  not  the  pos- 
session of  either  Saul  or  his  soldiers. 

If,  however,  these  mountains  of  difficulty  can  be 
demolished  by  Prayer,  I  desire  to  pray.  If  these 
foes,  who  are  too  mighty  for  me,  can  be  overcome 
for  the  asking,  then  will  I  ask. 


THE  DESIRE  FOR  PRAYER  19 

Yes,  I  desire  to  pray,  and  the  more  I  realize  the 
need  the  more  do  I  desire.  For  the  need  is  great. 
There  is  an  awakening  in  knowledge  and  general  in- 
terest among  the  people,  but  there  is  no  correspond- 
ing awakening  to  God  and  His  claims.  The  cry 
amongst  the  spiritual  of  all  lands  is  for  rain.  They 
recognize  the  drought.  They  sigh  because  the  heav- 
ens appear  to  be  as  brass.  A  sadness  comes  over 
them  as  they  perceive  men  neglecting  God  and  thou- 
sands deliberately  turning  from  Him. 

There  is  divergence  of  views  as  to  the  cause,  but 
there  is  general  agreement  as  to  the  fact  of  this  in- 
creasing godlessness  of  men.  The  churches  are  cry- 
ing out  about  it.  Some  of  the  most  able  men  are 
giving  up  the  work  in  despair.  Many  churches  are 
held  together  by  custom,  or  a  sense  of  duty  or  re- 
spectability. The  stream  of  Divine  Life,  energy, 
and  joy  is  not  coursing  through  our  congregations. 

Truly  the  need  is  so  great  that  if  prayer  of  mine 
will  alter  it,  I  must  pray.  More,  I  will  pray,  if  I 
know  how. 

I  desire  to  pray,  and  I  am  not  alone.  Thousands 
are  like  myself.  They  also  recognize  the  need  and 
desire  the  blessing. 


20       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

It  is  because  of  its  great  potentiality  that  Prayer  is 
worthy  of  study.  It  is  because  it  offers  the  great 
solution  to  all  difficulties  that  it  is  worth  our  while 
to  inquire  diligently  into  its  nature,  in  confidence 
that  the  Spirit  Himself  will  direct  us. 


THE  FINAL  INCENTIVE 


II 

THE  FINAL  INCENTIVE 

THERE  is  a  stronger  incentive  to  Prayer  than 
our  personal  desires.  My  apprehension  of 
the  need  of  men  is  not  the  deciding  factor.  It  is  not 
that  the  fact  I  or  my  fellow-Christians  realize  the 
state  of  the  Churches  which  makes  Prayer  so  im- 
perative.   It  is  something  more  than  this. 

Our  general  idea  in  this  connection  is  that,  to  be- 
come earnest  in  Prayer,  we  must  more  and  more 
realize  the  need.  Then,  when  the  need  has  grown  on 
our  minds  and  hearts  till  it  seems  greater  than  any- 
thing else  in  the  world,  we  shall  have  to  take  refuge 
in  Prayer.  The  measure  of  our  apprehension  will 
become  the  measure  of  our  efficiency  in  Prayer. 

This,  however,  is  not  the  strongest  incentive  to 
Prayer.  There  is  a  stronger  force  than  our  appre- 
hension of  the  need. 

Let  us  be  very  still  as  we  think  upon  it.  Not  our 
apprehension  of  the  need.     Not  our  realization  of 

23 


24       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

the  unspirituality  of  our  churches.  Not  our  sorrow 
because  of  the  Httle  headway  made.  No,  though  it 
is  good  for  us  to  reahze  all  this,  yet  it  is  compara- 
tively little. 

Our  apprehension,  our  realization,  our  sorrow  are 
nothing  compared  to  those  of  the  Lord  Christ. 

Ah!  He  apprehends  the  need.  He  realizes  the 
falling  away,  He  grieves  over  the  backsliding,  in  a 
way  that  we  can  never  do. 

This  is  what  constitutes  the  call  to  Prayer.  He 
knows,  and  He  asks  me  to  pray.  He  realizes,  and 
He  importunes  me  to  pray.  He  apprehends,  and  He 
commands  me  to  intercede.  It  is  not  my  poor  ap- 
prehension, not  my  awakening  sense  of  the  great 
need ;  but  His,  the  experienced,  all-seeing,  all-loving 
apprehension,  with  His  Comprehending  knowledge, 
which  is  a  call  to  Prayer. 

Why  He  should  call  me  to  pray,  I  may  not  know. 
How  it  can  do  any  good,  I  may  not  realize,  but  there 
is  one  thing  I  do  know.    He  wants  me  to  pray. 

Thus  it  is  not  now  so  much  that  I  want  to  pray. 
Not  so  much,  dear  reader,  that  you  and  I  desire  to 
pray.  There  is  this  stronger  incentive — Jesus  who 
knows  all,  Jesus  the  Lover,  Jesus  the  great  Field- 


THE  FINAL  INCENTIVE  25 

Marshal  viewing  the  great  World  battle-field,  He 
wants  us  to  pray.  Do  you  not  feel  the  drawing 
power  of  that  thought?  The  desire  to  pray  becomes 
a  mighty  one  when  we  discover  that  it  is  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  who  wishes  us  and  who  depends  on  us 
to  do  it. 

In  the  great  economy  of  salvation  the  Master  has 
appointed  a  place  for  Prayer.  He  knows  that  it  is 
required.  He  says  that  it  is  effective.  He  calls  for 
it,  because  in  His  eyes  it  is  an  essential  part  of  the 
great  plan.  Surely,  if  He  wishes  it  and  wishes  it  so 
much  that  He  commands  it,  we  shall  earnestly  desire 
to  carry  out  His  command.  The  sceptic  may  sneer, 
and  the  materialist  may  deny  the  power  of  Prayer, 
but  our  trust  is  in  the  wisdom  and  power  of  Him 
who  taught:  **Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive." 

In  Prayer,  as  in  every  other  department  of  life's 
operations,  our  refuge  is  in  the  Lord — not  in  our 
own  views,  not  in  our  own  apprehension,  but  in  His 
as  expressed  in  His  teaching,  and  given  to  us  with 
the  Divine  authority,  as  in  the  following  passages  of 
Scripture. 

"Ask,  and  it  shall  be  given  you ;  seek,  and  ye  shall 
find ;  knock,  and  it  shall  be  opened  unto  you.    For  he 


26       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

that  asketh  receiveth,  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth, 
and  to  him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened"  (Matt, 
vii-  7.  8). 

"What  man  is  there  among  you,  if  his  son  ask  a 
fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent,  or  if  he  ask  bread, 
will  he  give  him  a  stone?  If  ye  then,  being  evil, 
know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children, 
how  much  more  will  your  heavenly  Father  give  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him"  (Matt.  vii.  9- 
II). 

"This  parable  (the  Unjust  Judge)  He  spake  unto 
them,  that  men  ought  always  to  pray,  and  not  to 
faint"  (Luke  xviii.  1-8). 

"Thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet, 
and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father 
which  is  in  secret;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in 
secret  shall  reward  thee  openly"  (Matt.  vi.  6). 

"Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  My  name,  that  will  I 
do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  Son.  If 
ye  shall  ask  anything  in  My  name,  I  will  do  it" 
(Johnxiv.  13,  14). 

Does  the  Saviour  thus  counsel  and  command  me 
to  pray  ?  Ah,  surely  then  the  yearning  for  prayer  be- 
comes more  powerful.    Truly  the  desire  increases, 


THE  FINAL  INCENTIVE  27 

Without  fail  we  must  learn  the  art  of  praying.  And 
if  He  not  only  commands  it,  but  earnestly  desires  it, 
certain  are  we  that  there  must  be  some  solution  of 
the  problem,  and  that  if  we  too  desire  it  we  shall  be 
enabled  to  obey  His  command  and  to  satisfy  such 
desires. 


THE  FUNCTIONAL  CHARACTER  OF  PRAYER 


Ill 

THE      FUNCTIONAL      CHARACTER      OF 
PRAYER 

A  CHILD  is  lying  in  bed  asleep.  His  mother 
arranges  his  pillow.  He  wakes  up.  Slowly 
he  bHnks  his  eyes,  takes  in  the  situation,  sees  that  it 
is  his  mother,  and  immediately  exclaims :  "Mother, 
I  want  something  to  eat."  That  expression  of  want, 
so  natural  to  a  growing  lad,  is  founded  upon  the  very 
constitution  of  the  boy.  Were  there  not  that  im- 
perative desire  for  food,  he  would  not  be  a  healthy 
growing  boy. 

Similarly,  when  the  children  come  saying:  "I 
want  a  drink" ;  or  *T  am  sleepy,  I  want  to  go  to  bed," 
we  know  that  the  need  is  an  inherent  one.  The  ex- 
pression of  the  want  has  behind  it  the  want  itself, 
and  the  want  or  desire  for  food,  or  drink,  or  sleep, 
depends  on  the  needs  of  the  body.  First  the  body's 
needs,  then  the  expression  of  those  functionally  in 
the  craving  for  food  or  drink  or  rest ;  and  then  the 

31      . 


32       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

expression  of  the  functional  craving  in  words.  That 
is  the  physical  process,  and  the  spiritual  is  analogous 
to  it. 

Prayer  is  the  expression  of  a  deep  craving  created 
by  a  certain  state  of  soul. 

To  endeavour  to  create  Prayer  without  having  the 
craving,  and  without  the  spirit  being  in  unison,  is 
like  endeavouring  to  get  a  sick  child  to  ask  for  food. 
Get  the  child  healthy,  and  there  will  soon  be  the  in- 
ward demand,  followed  very  quickly  by  the  outward 
expression.  Getting  the  child  healthy  is  the  best 
way  to  obtaining  the  vocal  request. 

The  asking  for  food  is  Prayer.  "Unless  ye  be- 
come as  little  children,'*  Christ  said,  "ye  shall  not 
enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven"  (Matt,  xviii.  3).  The 
child's  request  is  because  the  want  of  certain  definite 
things  is  felt.  There  is  something  urgently  needed, 
or  at  least  the  child  thinks  so,  and  the  request  is 
based  on  this.  Prayer  must  be  founded  on  the  real- 
ization of  need. 

Thus  Prayer  is  functional.  Just  as  a  child,  when 
hungry,  calls  for  food,  so  the  Christian  feels  spirit- 
ually hungry  and  voices  his  request.  The  child  does 
not  need  to  create  his  hunger.    It  is  natural.    It  tells 


THE  FUNCTIONAL  CHARACTER        33 

him  in  no  uncertain  way  that  there  is  a  want,  and 
urges  this  upon  him  till  he  finds  expression  in  words. 
It  does  not  end  in  words,  as  mothers  well  know. 
The  hunger  continues  and  the  requests  become  more 
urgent,  until  food  is  given,  and  the  need  is  satisfied. 

It  is  well  to  take  the  child  as  our  illustration.  The 
case  of  the  adult  in  some  ways  complies  with  the 
truths  set  forth.  In  many  cases  his  body  is,  however, 
so  vitiated,  and  in  such  an  unnatural  condition  that 
hunger  is  not  felt  when  the  body  really  requires  sus- 
tenance, and  at  other  times  a  false  craving  is  ex- 
perienced. The  expression  of  the  need  in  this  case 
follows  on  a  sensation  of  want  which  is,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  not  in  true  relation  to  the  needs  of  the  body. 

Spiritual  Prayer  is  often  in  a  similar  plight. 
There  is  a  desire  and  there  is  expression,  but  the 
state  of  the  spirit  is  unhealthy.  Prayer  is  not  in  the 
true  succession.  It  is  uttered,  but  the  whole  being  is 
not  in  it,  and  there  is  evident  lack  of  power. 

Again,  there  is  always  the  need  of  soul,  but  oft- 
times  there  is  not  the  corresponding  realization  or 
craving;  and  therefore  Prayer  is  either  not  uttered 
at  all,  or  else  it  is  expressed  in  lifeless  tones.  We 
have  to  realize  that  our  outward  prayers  are  only 


34       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

secondary  matters.  Closer,  more  at  the  heart  of 
things,  is  the  craving,  the  desire.  Closer,  nearer 
still,  is  the  state  of  our  spirit. 

Prayer  is  thus  a  deeper  thing  than  we  had  thought. 
We  find  difficulty  in  praying.  It  is  not  merely  the 
outward  act  which  is  defective.  We  lack  the  desire, 
the  craving.  This  we  lack,  because  we  ourselves  are 
not  right.  Our  lack  of  ability  to  pray,  and  our  lack 
of  power  in  Prayer,  come  from  something  deeper 
and  more  personal  than  the  mere  outward  difficulty. 
We  cannot  pray  for  others,  because  we  ourselves  are 
imperfect.  There  is  something  lacking  or  something 
wrong. 

Reader,  are  you  willing  to  admit  this  ? 

Do  you  realize  that  this  seeming  outward  defi- 
ciency is  deeper  than  you  had  thought;  that  it  is 
functional,  has  something  to  do  with  your  innermost 
state  of  soul  ?  Do  you  and  I  admit  this  ?  Then  shall 
we  together  quietly  face  the  issue,  and  be  willing  to 
be  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  ? 

One  realizes  that  Prayer  must  be  linked  with  this 
deep  innermost  state  of  being  when  one  reads 
the  Apostle's  injunction:  "Pray  without  ceasing" 
(i  Thess.  v.  17) ;  or  when  the  Master's  exhortation 


THE  FUNCTIONAL  CHARACTER        35 

to  "pray  always  and  never  faint"  (Luke  xviii.  i)  is 
remembered.  If  ever  we  are  going  to  be  like 
Brother  Lawrence,  who  "practised  the  presence  of 
God,"  there  must  be  a  deep  consciousness  of  God  in 
our  hearts.  "If  ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide 
in  you,"  said  Christ,  "ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and 
it  shall  be  done  unto  you"  (John  xv.  7) .  And  if  we 
do  not  abide,  then  it  shall  not  be  done. 

Prayer  is  never  going  to  be  right  outwardly  until 
we  are  right  inwardly.  If  the  tree  be  good,  the  fruit 
will  be  good  also  (Matt.  xii.  33). 

It  is  better  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  God  than  into 
the  hands  of  men  (2  Sam.  xxiv.  14) ;  but  the  Lord's 
work  is  a  very  thorough  one,  and  we  never  know 
how  far  His  operations  will  extend.  If  He  is  going 
to  make  us  good  "Petitioners,"  it  is  evident  that  in 
the  process  He  will  have  to  do  a  great  deal  to  us  in 
addition. 

God  grant  that  we  may  not  turn  back  or  fail  dur- 
ing the  process ! 


STAYING  AND  WAITING 


IV 

STAYING  AND  WAITING 

THE  spirit  of  the  present  age  is  one  of  publicity. 
If  a  man  is  eminent  in  knowledge,  he  is  not 
regarded  as  having  "come  into  his  own"  unless  he 
is  recognized  by  the  world  at  large  as  a  savant.  If  a 
man  is  an  earnest  Christian,  it  does  not  count  unless 
his  earnestness  is  a  well-know^n  fact. 

To  many,  life  is  nothing  unless  it  is  lived  in  view 
of  their  fellow-men.  There  is  a  fever  in  the  human 
blood  in  this  age  which  manifests  itself  in  all  man- 
ner of  ways.    The  Church  of  Christ  is  affected  by  it. 

When  the  lapsing  from  the  Churches  is  consid- 
ered, and  the  little  headway  that  spiritual  forces  are 
apparently  making  against  the  world  is  duly  taken 
into  account,  some  have  a  ready  way  out  of  it.  We 
must  work  more  earnestly.  Our  efforts  must  be 
doubled.  With  an  increased  output  of  energy,  it  is 
fully  expected  that  all  the  difficulties  will  be  over- 
come. 

39 


40       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

An  illustration  of  this  is  furnished  in  the  advice 
which  a  well-known  minister  gave  a  young  man. 
This  young  fellow  had  been  attending  certain  meet- 
ings and  conferences  of  Christian  workers  at  which 
the  minister  in  question,  who  was  on  tour,  had  taken 
a  prominent  part.  The  youth  desired  to  obtain  a 
motto  for  his  album,  and  asked  the  minister  for  it. 
Looking  him  up  and  down,  the  minister  asked :  "Is  it 
for  yourself  that  you  want  it?"  He  replied  that  it 
was,  and  expected  to  be  given  some  Scriptural  text 
as  a  life  motto.  What  was  his  surprise  when  the 
reverend  gentleman  said :  ''Get  out  and  push." 

Whether  the  minister  read  this  young  man's  char- 
acter correctly  or  not,  it  is  true  that  this  is  the  ad- 
vice which  is  largely  given  to  our  youth  of  to-day. 
Books  with  titles  such  as  "Tact,  Push,  and  Prin- 
ciple" indicate  the  trend  of  things.  "Yes,  he  will 
make  things  hum,  he  is  a  fellow  with  a  tremendous 
amount  of  'go'  in  him."  Such  is  the  remark  passed 
on  a  Christian  worker  or  on  a  young  minister.  The 
vision  arises  of  a  church  or  a  mission  going  at  full 
speed,  and  success  seems  ready  to  hand. 

Now,  there  is  something  in  prayer  which  seems  to 
be  contrary  to  this.     When  a  man  begins  to  retire 


STAYING  AND  WAITING  41 

within  himself,  and  to  hold  converse  with  God,  push 
and  vim  seem  to  lose  their  dazzling  qualities.  They 
often  then  appear  as  so  much  energy  of  the  flesh, 
with  a  corresponding  diminution  of  spiritual  power. 

Yet  it  would  be  erroneous  to  accept  the  idea  that 
much  prayer  will  lead  to  little  work.  It  would  be 
contrary  to  the  experience  of  Christian  history. 
Possibly  the  man  who  holds  the  ideal  position  in  the 
public  mind  as  a  great  supplicant  with  God  is  George 
Miiller  of  Bristol.  His  praying  was  to  purpose,  and 
the  orphans  whom  he  was  the  means  of  assisting 
were  evidences  of  the  practical  potency  of  his  peti- 
tions. There  are  many  others,  well-known  workers, 
who  are  recognized  as  men  of  Prayer.  Therefore,  to 
get  into  the  spirit  of  Prayer  is  not  to  run  the  danger 
of  dropping  out  of  work.  He  who  is  in  company 
with  a  w^orker  like  Edison  cannot  lounge  away  his 
time.  If  the  chief  works  for  twenty- four  hours  at 
a  stretch,  those  associated  with  him  naturally  follow 
suit  in  so  far  as  it  is  possible.  Work  becomes  the 
natural  order  of  things. 

"My  Father  worketh  hitherto,  and  I  work,"  said 
the  Lord  Jesus  (John  v.  17).  He  who  enters  into 
fellowship  with  the  Lord  comes  into  the  sphere  of 


42       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

influence  of  the  Great  Worker.  "I  must  work  the 
works  of  Him  that  sent  Me  .  .  .  the  night 
Cometh  when  no  man  can  work*'  (John  ix.  4).  He 
was  straitened  till  His^oik  was  accomplished  (Luke 
xii.  50). 

"The  labourers  are  few/*  He  said,  "pray  that  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  will  thrust  forth  labourers" 
Matt.  IX.  37,  38;  Luke  x.  2).  These  are  the  words 
of  One  to  whom  work  was  a  great  passion,  an  im- 
perative call.  But  His  work  was  entirely  dependent 
on  His  Father's  will.  "I  must  work  the  works  of 
Him  that  sent  Me"  (John  ix.  4).  "I  came  not  to  do 
Mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me" 
(John  vi.  38). 

Understanding  of  the  will  of  God  preceded  the 
work — not  only  understanding  and  love,  but  com- 
plete surrender  to  it.  Thus  it  is  seen  that  under- 
standing, love,  and  surrender  were  all  matters  which 
originated  in  quiet.  Meditation  on,  apprehension  of, 
rejoicing  in,  and  joyful  acceptance  of  God's  will, 
prepared  the  man  Christ  Jesus  for  its  fulfilment, 
when  such  was  called  for. 

Then  there  also  came  in  the  question  of  immediate 
obedience.    What  was  heard  in  the  quiet  was  acted 


STAYING  AND  WAITING  43 

upon  in  the  expressed  life.  To  him  who  hears, 
ready,  immediate,  and  obedient  action  is  doubly 
necessary.  Therefore  it  is  not  work  that  is  to  be 
deprecated,  but  rather  work  which  springs  from  a 
wrong  or  defective  source. 

The  modern  system  of  Christian  work  is  largely 
marked  by  this  defect.  The  putting  forth  of  energy, 
attendance  at  meetings,  the  multiplication  of 
agencies,  the  performance  of  duties — often  at  great 
personal  sacrifice — this  is  the  trend  of  much  of  our 
Christian  life  just  now.  It  is  inspiring  to  witness 
much  of  it.  Yet  it  is  pathetic.  For  much  of  it  is 
waste.  A  large  proportion  of  it  is  of  human  origin, 
and  has  results  of  a  correspondingly  low  degree. 

What  we  have  to  learn  is  to  get  started  on  God's 
way,  and  to  be  willing  not  to  start  at  all  rather  than 
to  go  on  our  own  way  and  not  His.  Not :  "Get  out 
and  Push ;"  but :  "Stay  and  Wait." 

Come  to  rest.  Realize  God.  Realize  Him  as 
operative  in  our  own  soul.  Realize  Him  as  Master 
there.  Realize  and  yield  to  Him  in  the  sphere  of  our 
hearts  and  in  the  operations  of  our  lives.  This  must 
be  the  starting  point.  A  realization  of  ourselves,  and 
a  realization  of  Him  first  in  regard  to  ourselves  and 


44       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

then  in  a  fuller  and  more  final  sense  in  regard  to  our 
fellow-beings. 

This  means  becoming  quiet,  coming  to  rest.  This 
means  the  open  heart,  the  impressionable  soul,  the 
teachableness  of  the  child.  It  includes  the  absolute 
surrender  of  mind,  heart,  and  spirit,  aye,  and  of 
body  too. 

Prayer  then  comes  to  us  in  a  fuller  way.  It  is 
no  longer  the  spasmodic  casual  creature  of  the  public 
imagination.  It  is  to  be  a  man  as  one  nearest  and 
dearest,  one  who  ever  abides  with  him.  There  is  the 
need  of  the  constant  state  of  Prayer,  of  the  con- 
tinual waiting,  of  the  habit  of  subordination  of  will, 
and  of  constant  readiness  to  perceive  and  to  perform 
the  Will  of  God. 

Is  Prayer  this,  O  Lord?  Then  how  far  am  I — 
how  far  are  we — from  this  blessed  state  ?  Lord,  we 
humbly  ask  of  Thee :  Teach  us  to  pray. 


PRAYER:  A  WORLD  FACTOR 


PRAYER:  A  WORLD  FACTOR 

THE  constitutions  of  different  minds  vary. 
Hence  the  difficulty  of  one  is  different  from 
that  of  another.  A  difficulty  which  does  not  trouble 
me  may  be  the  chief  source  of  perplexity  to  many. 
Such  a  difficulty  is  that  put  forward  by  some  critics, 
to  the  effect  that  Prayer  is  an  intrusion. 

Here  we  have  a  world,  they  say,  which  runs  on 
under  certain  laws;  a  great  wheel  which  goes  on 
turning,  and  which  does  not  stop  or  go  faster  be- 
cause any  such  volatile  things  as  ideas  or  questions, 
or  requests  are  put  forth.  Because,  they  ask,  some 
ragged  urchin  in  a  back  room  asks  God  to  send  a 
fine  day  for  the  picnic,  as  mother  and  the  other  chil- 
dren are  going  out  for  their  annual  holiday,  is  it 
likely  that  the  clouds  will  disappear?  Or  can  there 
be  any  potency  in  Prayer  for  rain,  even  though  that 
cry  comes  from  the  hearts  and  voices  of  thousands 

47 


48       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

of  farmers  whose  stock  is  dying?  What  influence 
has  Prayer  on  the  matter  at  all  ? 

This  difficulty  largely  has  to  do  with  the  idea  of 
dislocation.  The  popular  mind  dislikes  the  thought 
of  something  else  coming  in  to  upset  the  ordinary 
course  of  affairs.  The  fact  is  Science  has  recently 
so  shaken  our  belief  in  the  things  termed  material 
and  visible,  and  so  stirred  our  imagination  in  regard 
to  the  presence  and  potency  of  unseen  forces,  that  it 
is  now  easy  to  believe  that  Prayer  is  at  least  as  effec- 
tive a  force  as  Steam  or  Wind  or  Water.  It  can  now 
be  scientifically  held  as  one  of  the  world's  great 
dynamics,  and  can  rightly  claim  the  recognition  usu- 
ally granted  to  be  a  cosmic  force. 

Prayer  to-day  is  coming  to  be  regarded  as  an 
integral  part  of  the  world,  without  which  probably 
neither  would  the  sun  continue  to  give  us  its  light 
and  heat,  nor  the  rain  descend  in  fructifying  bless- 
ing. If  this  becomes  the  accepted  position,  the 
critic  will  feel  that  he  cannot  so  readily  speak  of 
dislocation,  for  at  the  most  it  will  be  only  a  giving 
of  larger  play  to  a  force  already  in  operation.  If 
energy  be  found  in  some  hidden  way  to  depend  upon 
Prayer,  then  the  entrance  of  Prayer  also  into  the 


PRAYER:  A  WORLD  FACTOR  49 

visible  manifestation  is  not  so  strange  a  thing  after 
all. 

The  difficulty  is,  therefore,  not  in  Prayer  itself. 
It  is  in  our  ignorance  of  its  character  and  possible 
scope.  There  is  nothing  so  outstanding  in  this  age 
as  the  way  in  which  we  are  gradually  uncovering 
secrets  of  Nature  which  were  unknown  to  our  fore- 
fathers. We  are  beginning  to  understand  not  the 
forces  themselves,  but  their  applicabihty  to  our 
needs. 

A  force  such  as  Electricity  has  been  within  the 
ken  of  human  knowledge  for  many  years.  It  is  only 
within  recent  times  that  we  have  been  gaining  mas- 
tery over  it,  and  turning  its  energy  to  all  kinds  of 
service.  Similarly,  we  are  bringing  department  after 
department  of  Nature  under  our  control.  We  used 
to  speak  of  it  being  as  difficult  to  do  a  certain  thing 
as  to  fly.  Now  this  expression  is  losing  its  force, 
for  men  are  rivalling  the  birds  in  their  mastery  over 
the  air.  Many  of  the  forces  and  elements  that  our 
fathers  knew  of  and  handled  in  primitive  ways  are 
becoming  more  practically  known,  and  are  disclosing 
their  hidden  potentialities. 

Surely  this  development  in  knowledge  must  not 


50       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

be  confined  to  things  material.  Spiritual  dynamics 
are  surely  also  worthy  of  being  better  understood. 
And  prayer  is  a  dynamic  containing  possibilities 
which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  have  grasped. 

We  can  be  sure  of  this.  If  God  has  commanded 
us  to  pray,  there  is  a  mighty  reason  for  it.  He 
knows  the  composition  of  the  universe  and  the  bal- 
ance of  things.  He  knows  our  precise  place  in  the 
great  economy.  Therefore,  with  quiet  hearts  we 
can  go  on  our  way.  Our  assurance  is  that  it  will  all 
appear  most  reasonable  and  proper  when  we  know 
more  fully.  The  man  who  prays  will  be  found  to 
be  the  man  who  is  generative  and  operative  when 
others  are  nonresultant. 


PRAYER:  A  PROCESS 


VI 
PRAYER:  A  PROCESS 

IF  it  be  quietly  considered,  it  is  reasonable  to 
assume  that  between  thought  and  action  there 
should  be  expression.  An  idea  comes  to  a  man,  a 
thought,  a  strange  intangible  entity,  called  an  idea. 
How  different  from  it  is  the  resultant.  The  idea 
has  clothed  itself.  It  has  taken  the  form  of  a  great 
building,  or  a  mighty  ship,  or  whirring  machinery. 
That  idea  may  result  in  the  employment  of  thou- 
sands of  men  over  many  years.  It  may  change  the 
face  of  the  world.  Between  the  idea  and  its  concrete 
embodiment  came  the  expression  of  it,  the  disclosure 
to  others,  the  discussions,  the  elaborations,  the  plans. 
All  the  intermediaries  had  to  come  in  before  the 
idea  could  reach  visibility  and  potential  operation. 

This  relation  runs  through  life.  First  the  idea, 
then  the  expression,  after  which  the  embodiment 
or  materialization.  Now,  Prayer  is  the  expression 
midway  between  the  thought  and  the  realization. 

53 


54       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

Prayer  is  Man  finding  his  voice.  We  read  that 
when  God  instituted  the  present  order  of  the  world, 
He  spoke.  First  of  all  the  Spirit  of  God  (Gen.  i.) 
moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters.  Then  came  the 
voice  of  God:  *Tet  there  be  light;  Let  there 'be  a 
firmament" ;  and  so  on.  First  the  brooding  on  the 
waters,  first  the  vision  of  the  world;  then  the  ex- 
pression, and  then — "it  was  so" — the  embodiment 
of  the  vision. 

"Whom  shall  I  send?"  said  God  in  the  eternities. 
"Here  am  I,  send  Me,"  said  the  Son.  "And  the 
Word  became  flesh  and  dwelt  among  us"  (John  i.  14, 
R.V.).  The  salvation  of  Man,  the  great  Idea  in  the 
Eternal  Mind;  Jesus  Christ  the  Word,  the  Expres- 
sion of  that  Idea — God  finding  voice;  and  then  the 
great  Salvation  embodied  in  the  redemption  of  man- 
kind. 

The  Idea,  the  Voice,  the  Realization. 

The  voice  of  God  has  to  be  heard  to-day.  It  is 
not  only  that  man  must  have  the  great  idea,  and 
must  find  expression  for  it  through  prayer  ere  the 
great  realization  can  be  effected.  There  is  more  in 
it  than  that.  God  too  must  have  a  voice.  He  too 
must  be  able  to  express  Himself — not  only  in  the 


PRAYER:  A  PROCESS  55 

Heavenlies,  but  also  on  the  earth.    Let  us  grasp  this. 

The  thought  is  tremendous.  My  friend,  when 
you  and  I  feel  drawn  to  Prayer,  it  is  God  desirous 
of  pouring  forth  His  heart:  the  great  depths  of 
the  thoughts  of  God — of  His  desires — seeking  to 
find  expression  through  such  imperfect  channels  as 
you  and  me. 

"We  know  not  how  to  pray  as  we  ought;  but 
the  Spirit  Himself  maketh  intercession  for  us,  with 
groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered;  and  He  that 
searcheth  the  hearts  knoweth  what  is  the  mind  of 
the  Spirit,  because  He  maketh  intercession  for  the 
saints  according  to  the  will  of  God"  (Rom.  viii.  26, 
27,  R. v.). 

It  is  all  to  be  according  to  the  Will  of  God. 
Prayer  in  the  Spirit  is  according  to  God's  will. 
Therefore  it  means  that  man  at  his  highest  is  always 
expressly  subordinate  to  God.  This  may  seem  a 
truism,  but  there  is  something  vital  in  it.  It  contains 
a  very  deep  philosophy,  and  on  this  account  alone 
Prayer  stands  justified  as  an  operative  factor  in 
practical  affairs. 

It  must  surely  be  admitted  that  man  is  placed 
in  a  position  of  immense  power  if  this  promise  is 


56       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

true.  "Ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto 
you."  Is  this  really  what  Christ  means?  Does  He 
actually  put  such  a  power  into  our  hands?  Why, 
this  is  to  raise  us  to  be  the  monarchs  of  all  things ! 
It  places  illimitable  power  in  our  hands. 

We  come  to  our  highest  point  of  power  here. 
If  we  consider  this,  the  beauty  of  the  "arrange- 
ment" will  come  home  to  us.  For  just  there,  where 
we  are  crowned,  and  the  power  illimitable  is  put 
into  our  hands,  just  there,  we  find  that  it  is  all  to 
be  "according  to  the  Will  of  God."  We  are  made 
Kings,  but  we  find  the  Great  Emperor  over  us. 
And  just  where  we  are  at  our  highest,  there  He 
comes,  and  He  and  we  have  to  hold  communion  and 
be  at  one. 

Prayer  is  often  considered  to  be  the  expression 
of  weakness.  It  is  really  the  wielding  of  power  and 
authority.  And  it  is  when  we  are  at  the  height 
of  our  glory  that  we  have  to  be  most  humble  and 
bring  everything  into  subjection  to  His  will.  This 
is  true  even  in  regard  to  the  Son  Himself.  "He 
hath  put  all  things  under  His  feet.  But  when  He 
saith  all  things  are  put  under  Him,  it  is  manifest 
that  He  is  excepted  which  did  put  all  things  under 


PRAYER:  A  PROCESS  57 

Him.  And  when  all  things  shall  be  subdued  unto 
Him,  then  shall  the  Son  also  Himself  be  subject 
unto  Him  that  put  all  things  under  Him,  that  God 
may  be  all  in  all"  (i  Cor.  xv.  27,  28). 

Surely,  there  is  a  glory  in  this.  We  are  made 
Kings  and  Priests  unto  God.  We  reign  at  the 
mercy-seat,  but  it  is  at  the  foot  of  the  steps.  Our 
exaltation  and  our  dependence  are  emphasized  in  the 
one  act. 


KINGS  AND  PRIESTS 


VII 

KINGS  AND  PRIESTS 

^^TT'E  shall  ask  what  ye  will,"  said  Christ,  "and 
A  it  shall  be  done  unto  you."  "What  you 
will."  Thus  the  will  of  man  comes  in  as  well  as  the 
will  of  God.  Prayer  has  not  only  to  be  according 
to  the  will  of  God.  Being  the  expression  of  man's 
wishes,  it  is  of  necessity  according  to  the  will  of 
man  also.  "In  everything,  by  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion, let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God" — 
your  requests,  that  is  the  outward  expression  of  the 
inner  motions  of  the  will. 

The  first  impression  of  the  effect  of  Prayer  on 
those  who  engage  in  it  is  that  of  weakness.  We  are 
to  pray,  to  request,  to  get  low,  to  become  humble 
in  order  to  obtain.  "Prayer  and  supplication."  We 
are  to  supplicate  and  entreat,  to  lay  our  hopes  and 
fears,  our  aspirations,  and  our  ambitions  before 
Him.  We  are  in  the  position  of  pleaders — not  com- 
ing demanding  as  a  right,  but  pleading  as  a  favour. 

6i 


62       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

Thus  Prayer  seems  to  have  an  unmanning  effect.  It 
creates  a  dependent  spirit.  It  casts  us  upon  the 
grace  of  Another.  Even  though  this  other  is  the 
Highest,  yet  it  still  holds  true  that  we  are  declared 
dependent. 

The  softer  characteristics  are  developed.  There 
is  a  danger  that  what  are  called  the  more  robust 
characteristics  will  wither.  But  this  is  not  God's 
purpose.  He  says :  *'What  ye  will."  Not  only  what 
you  wish,  what  you  desire,  but  what  you  will.  This 
sounds  strong,  healthy,  manly.  Instead  of  God 
wishing  to  decrease  our  responsibility.  He  wishes 
to  increase  it.  Instead  of  taking  initiative  and  action 
out  of  our  hands,  He  wishes  to  confide  them  to  us 
altogether.  He  desires  that  we  draw  up  the  pro- 
gramme and  settle  the  details.  He  wishes  us  to  have 
a  free  hand.  The  programme  has,  however,  to  be 
drawn  up  within  certain  limits,  and  those  limits  are 
according  to  the  will  of  God." 

Now  the  usual  acceptance  of  this  is  that  each  little 
detail  of  request  has  to  have  the  special  sanction 
of  God.  If  He  purposes  and  wishes  that  detail  in 
that  particular  way,  well  and  good,  the  request  shall 
be  granted.     This  is  true  evermore  and  altogether. 


KINGS  AND  PRIESTS  63 

The  Lord  must  have  the  final  say  in  particular,  as 
well  as  in  general.  But  there  is  a  sense  in  which 
He  leaves  the  particular  to  us,  as  long  as  the  general 
scope  is  within  the  lines  of  His  will. 

If  we  ask  anything  according  to  His  will,  He 
heareth  us;  and  "if  we  know  that  He  hear  us,  what- 
soever we  ask,  we  know  that  we  have  the  petitions 
that  we  desired  of  Him."  There  is  such  a  thing 
as  coming  into  such  sweet  relation  to  the  will  of 
God  that  we  are  fused  into  oneness  with  it.  His 
will  becomes  ours,  and  He  gladly  sets  us  free  to  carry 
out  our  own  wishes — they  really  being  His  first  and 
then  ours. 

The  Lord's  great  purpose  is  to  make  us  perfect 
men,  Kings  to  reign,  to  judge,  and  to  conquer.  He 
has  no  purpose  of  reducing  us  to  automata.  Rather 
does  He  wish  to  raise  us  up  as  His  children  and  His 
representatives,  to  act  for  Him  and  to  be  the  embodi- 
ment of  His  purpose. 

He  wishes  us  to  be  responsible.  We  are  to  de- 
liberate. We  are  to  come  to  decision.  We  are  to 
arrive  at  conclusions,  to  decide  on  a  programme, 
to  take  the  initiative,  to  press  steadily  forward.  We 
are  not  to  be  straws  on  the  current,  tossed  to  and 


64       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

fro.  We  are  to  be  men  of  purpose  and  high  resolu- 
tion. We  are  to  be  men  of  will.  We  are  to  be 
verily  Kings  and  Priests — to  rule,  to  direct,  to  sit 
on  the  thrones  of  Israel. 

An  attitude  is  frequently  assumed  which  is  dis- 
tasteful. It  is  said  that  because  God  has  promised, 
therefore  we  have  a  right  to  expect,  and  conse- 
quently we  shall  demand.  The  idea  may  be  right, 
but  the  way  of  putting  it  is  crude.  There  must  ever 
be  the  meek  and  humble  spirit  in  our  approach  to 
God.  The  adoption  of  this  humble  spirit  will  enable 
the  Spirit  of  God  to  draw  near  to  us,  and  to  work 
in  us  a  quiet,  entire  confidence. 

His  aims  and  purposes  will  find  a  ready  lodgment 
in  our  hearts.  They  will  be  like  seed  falling  into 
good  ground.  We  shall  find  springing  up  in  our 
hearts  wishes  after  His  model,  we  shall  think  His 
thoughts  after  Him,  and  we  shall  have  longings 
such  as  surge  through  the  heart  of  Christ  Himself. 
These  wishes  and  longings  will  have  the  hall-mark 
of  His  heart  on  them.  We  shall  know  them  to  be 
from  Him,  and  thus  we  shall  be  quietly  confident 
when  we  pray. 

We  shall  have  the  hearings  of  Kings.  Not  as  sup- 


KINGS  AND  PRIESTS  65 

pliants  only,  but  as  those  who  know  they  have  ob- 
tained mercy,  and  as  Priests  to  whom  God  has  com- 
mitted the  gracious  work  of  dispensing  mercy  to 
others.  Kings  and  Priests.  Dispensers  of  the  grace 
of  God.  Clasping  to  our  hearts  the  mighty  beams  of 
beneficence  which  proceed  from  the  throne,  that  we 
may  radiate  them  to  others.  Truly  Prayer  is  a  right 
royal  thing,  not  a  matter  of  dust  and  ashes.  Truly 
we  are  never  higher  than  when  we  bow  lowest  at  the 
Throne  of  Grace,  and  obtain  grace,  not  only  for  our- 
selves, but  for  others  also,  to  help  in  time  of  need. 

The  Christian  needs  to  realize  his  lofty  position. 
There  is  too  little  power  in  Prayer,  because  what 
God  has  entrusted  to  us  is  not  understood.  If  we 
listen  and  weigh  the  words  of  Jesus,  we  shall  under- 
stand that  He  has  committed  to  us  a  great  trust  and 
a  mighty  opportunity. 

"Greater  works,"  He  said  in  His  last  great  talk 
to  the  Apostles,  "than  these  shall  ye  do ;  because  I  go 
unto  my  Father.  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  My 
name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified 
in  the  Son.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  My  name  I 
will  do  it"  (John  xiv.  12-14).  "I^  ye  abide  in  Me, 
and  My  words  abide  in  you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye 


66       THE  DYNAIMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.  ...  I  have 
ordained  you  .  .  .  that  your  fruit  should  remain; 
that  whatsoever  ye  ask  of  the  Father  in  My  name 
He  may  give  it  you"  (Chap.  xv.  7,  16).  "In 
that  day  ye  shall  ask  Me  nothing.  Verily,  verily,  I 
say  unto  you,  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in 
My  name,  He  will  give  it  you"  (Chap.  xvi.  23). 

As  we  read  these,  and  similar  passages,  we  become 
aware  that  a  mighty  power  has  been  put  into  our 
hands.  With  that  power  comes  responsibility.  To 
us  Christ  has  entrusted  the  power  of  regulating  the 
affairs  of  His  Church  and  of  the  world  in  general. 
We  are  as  Kings  upon  thrones.  According  to  the 
programme  that  we  lay  down,  and  the  decisions  we 
come  to,  so  God  regulates  the  affairs  of  men.  Get- 
ting into  the  line  of  His  great  will,  we  come  to  the 
centre  of  all  power,  and  He  places  the  levers  in  our 
hands.  This  is  a  burden  too  great  for  us.  It  needs 
superhuman  strength.  And  He  is  our  strength  and 
our  wisdom  and  our  all-sufficiency.  May  we  be  able 
to  ascend  humbly  to  our  throne,  and  be  verily  Kings 
and  Priests  in  the  obtaining  and  dispensing  of  bless- 
ing. 


FINDING  EXPRESSION 


VIII 
FINDING  EXPRESSION 

MANY  men  go  through  hfe,  and  do  not  "tell." 
They  live  their  little  life,  they  pass  away. 
What  they  really  are  seems  to  be  hidden.  Not  that 
a  man's  essential  being  can  remain  silent.  There  is 
that  within  us  which  struggles  for  utterance.  In 
some  inarticulate  manner,  we  find  expression.  In 
some  way,  what  we  are  influences  the  world  in  which 
we  move.  Yet  in  a  comparative  sense  some  men 
"tell"  and  others  do  not. 

Many  a  man  feels  that  what  he  is  essentially  has 
never  had  a  chance  of  appearing.  As  to  what  he  is 
potentially,  what  he  might  have  become  had  circum- 
stances been  favourable,  he  turns  from  this  in  de- 
spair. He  compares  his  attainment  in  life  with  the 
dreams  of  youth.  He  realizes  that  a  stunted  growth, 
a  checked  development,  and  a  muffled  expression  are 
all  that  are  his. 

Now  expression  is  necessary  to  growth.  The 
69 


70       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

healthy  tree  must  express  itself  in  leaves  and  fruit,  if 
it  is  to  find  its  full  life.  The  man  of  ideas  must  be 
able  to  put  his  thoughts  into  shape,  and  achieve  some 
practical  end,  if  he  is  to  go  on  thinking  thoughts  and 
dreaming  dreams.  The  man  with  unique  individual- 
ity must  express  such  if  he  is  to  retain  the  factor 
which  differentiates  him  from  other  men. 

This  is  just  to  say  that  everyone  must  find  expres- 
sion if  what  each  counts  for  is  to  survive.  The  defi- 
nite expression  of  individuality  is  a  necessity,  if  the 
influence  which  one  has  to  exert  is  to  be  felt.  There- 
fore he  who  will  devise  a  method  whereby  mankind 
at  large  can  secure  expression  of  thought  and  mind 
will  be  one  of  the  world's  greatest  benefactors.  He 
who  can  help  the  common  man  in  the  street  to  utter 
what  is  in  him  is  offering  to  humanity  a  wonderful 
opportunity. 

As  usual  the  very  thing  which  humanity  needs  has 
been  provided  by  God.  He  knows  our  frame,  He 
understands  our  deepest  needs,  He  has  arranged  that 
each  one  can  find  expression.  For  what  is  Prayer? 
It  is  the  opportunity  to  express  oneself.  To  utter  all 
that  is  in  one.  The  very  essential  and  most  charac- 
teristic  individuality   that   each   possesses   can   be 


FINDING  EXPRESSION  71 

brought  into  evidence — can  find  utterance.  The  hid- 
den Hfe,  that  which  our  own  eyes  can  hardly  see  or 
decipher,  can  be  uttered  and  laid  bare. 

That  which  I  am,  wherein  I  differ  from  those 
around  me,  from  the  world  in  general,  that  has  an 
opportunity  of  being  told  out  in  a  sphere  whose  re- 
active influence  on  me  must  be  of  the  highest  and 
best.  Expression  to  our  fellow-men,  which  has  a 
unique  place  of  its  own,  has  not  the  possibilities 
which  expression  has  when  our  Auditor  is  God. 

When  the  tree  expresses  itself  in  leaves,  it  comes 
in  touch  with  the  life-giving  atmosphere  which  nour- 
ishes and  revives  it.  The  great  essential  is  that  the 
environment  should  be  adapted  and  should  contain 
within  it  those  factors  which  will  nourish  life  and 
encourage  growth.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
that  the  environment  in  either  a  physical,  mental,  or 
spiritual  sense  should  be  one  which  ensures  health 
and  development. 

In  Prayer  the  environment  which  responds  to  the 
outgoing  soul  is  God.  Now  God  is  the  Highest 
Good.  Therefore  in  Prayer  the  soul  comes  in  con- 
tact with  the  Highest  Good.  The  soul  is  exposed 
to  Him,  and  He  touches  it  at  every  point  of  life 


72       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

and  activity.  Hence  His  moulding,  modifying, 
creating  power  is  felt.  The  greater  the  exposure,  the 
more  subtle  the  influence,  and  the  more  thorough  the 
searching  and  impressive  work. 

Expression  on  man's  part  means  impression  by 
God.  Impression  by  God  means  new  energies,  new 
currents  of  activities,  new  desires.  These  again  de- 
mand expression.  This  leads  to  more  prayer,  more 
exposure,  more  opportunity  to  be  impressed  by  God. 
Not  only  so,  but  when  the  soul  is  impressed  by  God 
it  must  find  expression  in  an  outward  sense.  Im- 
pressed by  God,  expressed  to  man.  This  is  the  nat- 
ural spiritual  order,  although  the  common  effort  is 
to  express  to  men  first  of  all.  Having  expressed  our- 
selves to  God,  having  been  impressed  by  Him,  then 
we  can  express  ourselves  to  our  fellow-men. 

First,  expression  to  God. 

Then,  impression  by  God. 

Next,  expression  to  our  fellow-men. 

The  sequence  does  not  stop  there.  The  next  step 
is  impression  on  our  fellow-men. 

This  is  what  our  preachers  and  teachers  crave — 
the  power  to  impress.  This  power  is  only  truly 
given  after  having  been  impressed  oneself.    This  im- 


FINDING  EXPRESSION  73 

pression  depends  on  our  expression  in  the  ears  of 
God. 

Prayer  is  our  expression  of  our  thoughts  to  God. 
Preaching  is  our  expression  of  our  thoughts  to  men. 
But  not  only  expression  of  thought.  It  is  more  far- 
reaching  than  that.  It  is  the  expression  of  ourselves. 
In  Prayer  we  express  ourselves,  in  a  full  detailed 
fashion.  In  preaching  we  utter  to  our  fellow-men 
what  our  innermost  self  is. 

True  preaching  is  ever  the  giving  away  of  oneself. 
True  preaching  then  is  dependent  on  true  praying. 
For  the  self  that  is  given  out  in  the  act  of  preaching 
the  Word  is  a  self  that  must  have  previously  been 
given  out  in  the  act  of  Prayer  to  God.  Expression 
and  impression  are  thus  seen  to  be  the  two  great 
factors.  And  the  impressions  are  reflex.  For  not 
only  does  God  impress  Himself  on  us.  He  calls  us 
to  Prayer  that  we  may  impress  ourselves  on  Him. 

In  the  abstract  this  seems  a  strange  doctrine  to 
accept.  Yet  this  is  really  the  essence  of  Prayer. 
"Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  the  Father  in  My  name, 
He  will  give  it  you,"  said  Christ.  That  is  clearly 
saying  that  the  Father  will  regulate  His  action  by 
our  Prayer.    That  is  to  say  that  our  expression  of 


74       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

our  desires  and  of  our  innermost  self  has  made  such 
impression  on  Divine  Benevolence  and  Will  that  His 
actions  are  regulated  thereby. 

The  old  adage  that  *Trayer  moves  the  Hand  that 
moves  the  world"  is  true.  We  impress  ourselves 
upon  God.  He  is  the  All-Good,  the  All-Perfect. 
Yet  we  can  impress  ourselves  upon  Him.  Surely 
we  are  brought  here  into  the  range  of  a  thought  of 
mighty  import.  Not  only  are  we  Kings  and  Priests 
in  regard  to  men.  We  are  taken  into  the  counsels 
of  the  Eternal,  and  the  omniscient  and  All-Powerful 
Mind,  which  controls  all,  bends  to  hear  our  supplica- 
tions. 

The  subject  is  fascinating,  but  it  is  one  where  the 
shoes  have  to  be  removed  and  the  head  bowed.  The 
gracious  condescension  whereby  He  invites  our 
prayers  and  the  expression  of  our  will  must  never 
be  held  lightly  in  esteem.  Neither,  however,  is  it 
honouring  to  Him  to  ignore  it.  Prayer  gives  us 
access  to  the  eternal  counsels,  and  makes  us  partici- 
pators in  the  eternal  decrees. 

There  is  also  a  reflex  impression  made  upon  our- 
selves by  our  fellow-men.  The  outgoing  of  a  man's 
thought,  of  his  innermost  self,  has  a  reaction  on  him- 


FINDING  EXPRESSION  75 

self.  What  his  thought,  his  self,  meets  outside,  has 
influence  on  himself.  If  this  is  within  the  sphere  of 
Prayer,  it  is  good;  if  it  is  not  encircled  by  the  de- 
fence of  Prayer,  it  is  dangerous.  The  relation  of  the 
outer  world  to  the  inner  spirit  must  be  decided  in  the 
great  Court  of  Prayer. 


TRANSMUTATION  OF  THE  VISIBLE 


IX 

THE  TRANSMUTATION  OF  THE  VISIBLE 

THERE  is  a  double  action  in  Prayer.  Through 
it  the  invisible  becomes  seen.  "As  seeing 
Him  who  is  invisible"  (Heb.  xi.  27).  Through  it 
also  the  visible  is  taken  into  the  inner  region,  the 
sphere  of  the  invisible.  "That  which  is  seen  is  tem- 
poral, that  which  is  unseen  is  eternal"  (2  Cor.  iv. 
18).  The  factor  which  takes  the  seen,  and  brings 
it  within  the  inner  sanctuary,  is  an  elevating  force. 

Prayer  takes  the  visible  and  tangible  into  the 
region  of  the  invisible  and  intangible.  He  who  prays 
takes  these  there  as  a  King  and  Priest  of  God.  In 
so  taking  them  he  enters  into  dominion  over  them, 
and  appropriates  what  is  in  them  of  service.  In 
this  way  the  material  can  become  spiritualized.  As 
a  man  I  touch  the  material,  and  it  has  influence  upon 
me.  But  I  take  it  in  prayer  to  God,  and  my  relation 
to  it  changes.  For  there  are  now  three  in  that  aud- 
ience chamber. 

79 


80       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

There  is  God. 

There  is  myself. 

There  is  the  person  for  whom  I  pray,  or  the  cause 
I  am  thinking  of,  or  the  idea,  or  the  wish. 

The  relation  of  myself  to  those  for  whom  I  pray 
must  forever  be  modified  by  the  fact  that  it  is  not 
I  alone  who  have  to  do  with  them,  but  God  and  I 
together.  Their  action  must  be  controlled  in  so  far 
as  they  have  now  to  deal  with  One  to  Whom  I  am 
allied.  They  will  not  find  me  the  weak,  easily-con- 
quered creature  that  I  was  before,  for  coupled  to 
me  is  the  Eternal  Strength.  They  will  not  find  me 
the  foolish  being  I  was  before,  for  now  God  grants 
in  my  aid  His  Eternal  Wisdom.  They  will  not  find 
in  me  the  selfish  and  egotistical  person  that  I  was 
previously,  for  my  attitude  to  them  is  approximated 
to  His,  which  is  one  of  Love.  I  shall  be  sympathetic 
because  He  enters  into  my  relation  to  them.  Their 
influence  on  me  thus  becomes  a  controlled  one. 

Surely  this  is  what  many  of  us  require.  The  fear 
of  man  is  upon  us.  The  desire  of  the  praise  of  men 
is  a  constant  and  over-recurring  snare.  If  we  work 
in  the  office,  if  we  preach  from  the  pulpit,  the  con- 
stant wish  which  seeks  to  make  itself  felt  is  that  of 


TRANSMUTATION  OF  THE  VISIBLE    81 

being  seen  of  men,  and  of  receiving  their  approba- 
tion. When,  however,  we  bring  them  before  God, 
they  enter  into  a  new  relation.  The  fear  of  them, 
the  desire  for  their  praise,  becomes  secondary  mat- 
ters, may  become  altogether  non-existent.  In  that 
conclave  the  One  whom  we  have  to  consider  is  God. 
He,  we,  and  the  other  are  together.  God  impresses 
us  most,  and  the  other  is  relegated  to  his  rightful 
position. 

It  is  evident  how  our  thinking  of  others  will  affect 
our  own  attitude  to  them.  For  they  now  present 
themselves  to  us,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  in  the 
presence  of  God.  This  is  why  we  have  to  pray  for 
them  that  despitefully  use  us.  Not  only  for  their 
sake,  but  for  our  own.  Our  relation  to  them  becomes 
the  same  as  God's,  who  makes  the  "sun  to  rise  on  the 
evil  and  the  good"  (Matt.  v.  45). 

It  is  not  so  easy  to  see  that  our  thoughts  of  men 
will  affect  them.  Thought  seems  such  an  intangible 
thing  that  its  outgoing  has  practically  no  limit.  Yet 
thought  is  one  of  the  most  potent  entities  in  our 
world.  Judged  by  results,  thought  transcends  mat- 
ter. This  mighty  thing  going  out  in  a  certain  direc- 
tion cannot  be  useless.     It  is,  however,  not  only 


82       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

thought,  but  thought  coupled  with  desire,  and  with 
desire  expressed.  That  is  to  say,  your  will  or  mine, 
as  the  case  may  be,  in  regard  to  a  certain  person, 
idea,  or  cause,  is  expressed. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  believe  that  the  expression  of 
will  must  have  direct  effect  on  the  object  of  such  ex- 
pression. Scientists  generally  agree  that  this  is  so. 
This,  however,  is  only  taking  it  in  a  human  psycho- 
logical manner.  When,  as  does  occur  in  Prayer,  the 
thought  and  desire  expressed  are  brought  into  con- 
junction with  God,  Who  is  All-Power,  then  a  new 
factor  of  immeasurable  import  is  introduced.  Prayer 
is  seen  at  once  to  be  a  reasonable  and  sequential  mat- 
ter. To  obtain  answers  to  Prayer  is  seen  to  be  per- 
fectly within  the  range  of  human  achievement.  Not 
to  expect  so  to  obtain  answers  is  seen  to  be  an  en- 
tirely unreasonable  attitude,  and  one  unworthy  of 
true  manhood. 

Our  path  of  victory  over  the  world  and  all  its 
dangers  and  subtleties  is  therefore  made  plain. 
They  are  to  be  brought  by  us,  in  obedience  to  the 
direction  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  through  Christ,  to  the 
detailed  notice  of  our  Heavenly  Father.  Our  lives 
are  to  be  uttered  in  detail  in  Prayer  to  Him,  before 


TRANSMUTATION  OF  THE  VISIBLE    83 

being  manifested  to  the  world.  Our  relations  to 
men,  to  the  world,  to  the  devil,  to  the  flesh,  to  suc- 
cess, to  ambition,  and  in  fact  to  all  things  whether 
heavenly  or  earthly,  are  to  be  brought  by  Prayer  into 
subordination  to  God,  to  receive  His  mighty  impress 
and  His  determinative  touch  ere  yet  they  have  being. 
Thus  Prayer  becomes  a  living  of  the  outer  life  in 
the  inner  sanctuary.  The  visible  is  brought  into  the 
sphere  and  under  the  influence  of  the  invisible.  The 
praying  man  is  in  the  line  of  the  great  sequences,  and 
to  him  belong  the  secrets  of  the  Lord,  both  in  the 
heavens  and  the  earth. 


THE  UNVEILING  OF  THE  INVISIBLE 


THE  UNVEILING  OF  THE  INVISIBLE 

BY  Prayer,  as  we  have  seen,  the  visible  is  taken 
into  the  region  of  the  invisible,  the  soul  of  the 
material  is  discovered.  By  Prayer  also  the  invisible 
is  disclosed,  that  which  seemed  not  to  exist  is  found 
to  be  the  great  reality. 

Faith  is  a  much  despised  thing  in  some  quarters. 
Even  devout  souls  frequently  regard  it  as  being  a 
creature  of  the  emotions.  Not  *'faith,"  they  say,  but 
"reality,"  is  what  we  must  have.  We  must  not 
simply  believe  a  certain  thing,  we  must  know  it,  and 
it  must  be  capable  of  demonstration.  Faith,  how- 
ever, is  not  an  operation  of  the  mind  whereby  things 
are  created.  True  faith  is  an  apprehension  of  that 
which  really  exists,  but  which  cannot  be  seen  except 
by  those  who  have  this  inner  sense.  "Faith  is  the 
substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of  things 
not  seen"  (Heb.  xi.  i).  To  the  eye  of  faith,  the  in- 
ner things  are  as  evident  as  are  the  material  to  the 
physical  eyesight. 

87 


88       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

One  of  the  great  objects  in  Christ's  coming  was 
that  He  might  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind.  One  of 
those  whom  He  cured  said  that  he  saw  men  as  trees 
walking.  This  was  only  a  passing  phase,  for  he  soon 
saw  everything  with  the  strong  eyes  of  a  youth.  The 
power  to  see  which  Christ  gave  was  not  a  fitful  one. 
Those  who  received  sight  saw  in  a  normal  fashion. 
In  this  there  is  encouragement.  The  normal  of  the 
Christian  is  seeing  the  Lord  Jesus,  living  in  the 
region  of  the  invisible.  **We  see  not  all  things  put 
under  man.  .  .  .  We  see  Jesus"  (Heb.  ii.  8,  9). 

It  is  not  that  the  invisible  has  to  be  created.  It  is 
there  already.  What  has  to  be  created  is  the  power 
to  see.  Here  the  same  principle  applies  to  other 
physical  powers  and  visible  entities.  Prayer  not  only 
transmutes  the  physical,  it  also  deals  with  the  percep- 
tive power.  The  physical  or  psychological  sense  of 
perception  is  also  brought  into  the  region  of  the 
spiritual. 

Formerly  we  dwelt  on  the  objective  action  of 
Prayer  on  material  things.  Thus  when  we  pray 
about  some  one,  or  some  thing,  or  some  idea,  we  at 
once  bring  that  within  the  influence  of  the  inner  and 
spiritual  life,  and  subject  it  to  the  forces  working 


THE  UNVEILING  OF  THE  INVISIBLE  89 

there.  But  more  is  done,  for  in  bringing  the  mate- 
rial there,  our  own  thoughts  and  minds  are  brought 
there  also,  and  thus  the  influence  becomes  subjective. 
The  mind,  being  thus  brought  into  this  sphere,  has 
the  power  of  beholding,  studying,  and  apprehending 
the  powers  of  the  inner  world. 

In  this  way  the  invisible  becomes  real,  because  the 
mind  and  heart  have  acquired  the  faculty  of  appre- 
hension. This  is  the  new  birth,  the  being  born  from 
above,  the  being  born  of  the  Spirit,  the  receiving 
of  the  life  of  Christ  into  ourselves.  For  spiritual 
vision  implies  spiritual  life.  There  can  be  no  sight 
in  a  dead  man.  Christ  in  us  can  not  only  hve,  He 
can  perceive,  He  can  know. 

"He  is  made  unto  us  the  Wisdom  of  God"  ( i  Cor. 
i.  30). 

Our  spiritual  vision  is  according  to  our  spiritual 
life.  Many  a  Christian  is  unable  to  see  clearly.  The 
things  of  the  Spirit  are  hazy  to  him.  As  he 
strengthens  in  the  inner  man,  he  begins  to  live  in  the 
region  of  the  invisible,  until  it  is  more  real  to  him 
than  the  passing  things  of  the  material  world. 

The  more  life,  the  more  vision. 

To  get  the  greater  vision  we  must  get  a  fuller  life. 


90       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

Not  by  hard  study  and  puzzling  of  the  brain,  but  by 
becoming  more  and  more  one  in  Spirit  with  the  Mas- 
ter, does  true  Knowledge  come.  Thus  it  is  that  God 
has  ''hidden  the  deep  things  from  the  wise  and  pru- 
dent, and  revealed  them  unto  babes"  (Matt.  xi.  25). 

Conversely,  it  is  thus  that  many  men  handle  deep 
doctrines,  and  these  turn  to  withered  branches  in 
their  hands.  What  was  rich  and  nourishing,  and  a 
channel  of  blessing,  becomes  a  set  formula  and  an 
arrangement  of  ideas.  The  tendency  is  ever  thus. 
Life  finds  an  outlet,  an  expression :  it  vivifies.  Then 
it  is  expressed  verbally  and  the  form  remains  while 
the  inner  force  too  often  departs. 

Life  gives  the  power  to  see.  Life  gives  the  power 
to  pray.  For  to  see  the  invisible  is  to  live  in  the 
Spirit  world,  and  to  learn  the  Spirit  ways,  and  to 
wield  the  Spirit  forces.  This  is  where  we  are  to 
come.  Into  the  invisible  world.  To  withdraw  from 
the  visible  and  to  be  at  rest  in  our  true  home,  the 
land  of  the  Spirit.  True  Prayer  brings  us  there.  It 
is  the  door  into  Heaven. 

Jesus  said :  "The  Son  of  Man  which  is  in  Heaven" 
(John  iii.  13).  He  knew  the  entrance,  and  He 
walked  in  bliss  there.    No  wonder  that  Heaven  came 


THE  UNVEILING  OF  THE  INVISIBLE  91 

down  to  Him  on  the  mountain-top.  No  wonder  that 
the  voice  of  God  broke  through  the  visible,  and 
through  the  audible,  and  made  itself  heard.  That  is 
where  wt  also  must  come.  Into  the  invisible.  We 
must  become  at  home  there.  We  must  so  enjoy  it, 
so  be  at  one  with  it  that  when  we  walk  on  earth  the 
invisible  will  be  with  us,  and  men  will  feel  the 
Heavenly  atmosphere. 

Prayer  will  thus  not  only  modify  the  things  about 
which  we  pray.  It  will  not  only  be  an  objective 
force.  It  will  modify  us.  It  will  be  subjective.  It 
will  bring  us  into  the  region  of  the  heavenly.  One 
of  its  greatest  works  will  be  the  production  in  our- 
selves of  the  affinity  for  the  spiritual.  It  will  create 
a  new  world  for  us  by  creating  us  in  correspondence 
with  that  new  world.  What  the  Christian  heart 
sighs  for  in  its  thoughts  of  heaven,  the  vision,  the 
joy,  the  power  to  see  and  to  serve — ^to  all  these 
Prayer  gives  the  key.  Even  now,  we,  like  our  Mas- 
ter, can  be  "in  heaven,"  through  Prayer. 

"Lord,  give  us  the  vision,  give  us  the  entrance  into 
Thy  presence,  that  we  may  see  Thy  face  and  serve 
Thee  now  and  evermore.    Amen." 


THE  GODWARD  SIDE  OF  PRAYER 


XI 

THE  GODWARD  SIDE  OF  PRAYER 

PRAYER  is  usually  regarded  as  a  very  selfish 
affair.  The  general  principle  seems  to  be,  how 
much  can  we  obtain  from  God  and  by  what  means  ? 
There  is,  however,  another  aspect.  Prayer  is  some- 
thing which  God  wishes.  The  Lord's  words  to  the 
Samaritan  woman  bear  on  this.  *The  true  worship- 
pers shall  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth : 
for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  Him."  It  is 
such  a  rare  thing  to  get  a  true  spiritual  worshipper, 
that  the  Father  seeks  for  such  an  one.  It  is  such  a 
rare  thing  to  get  men  who  can  enter  into  the  inner 
chamber  and  pour  out  their  souls,  that  God  places  a 
premium  on  such.  We  therefore  come  to  a  further 
stage  in  our  thoughts  on 'Prayer. 

We  have  seen  that  we  should  pray  because  Christ 
wants  us  to,  from  His  knowledge  of  the  need  and 
of  the  position  of  affairs.  We  have  seen  how  our 
prayers  may  not  be  ours,  but  His  through  our  being 

95 


96       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

one  with  Him  in  His  holy  desires  and  aims.  There 
is  this  more  personal  note  still.  The  Lord  wants  us 
to  pray  because  He  loves  to  hear  us,  because  it  makes 
us  conscious  of  our  dependence  on  Him,  because  it 
therefore  makes  our  union  with  Him  a  greater 
reality.  Anything  which  will  make  His  loved  ones 
cling  more  closely  to  Him  is  welcome  to  His  heart. 
For  we  are  now  the  lot  of  His  inheritance;  He  has 
taken  out  His  shares  in  the  Universe  in  the  great 
Human  Family. 

Someone  has  beautifully  said:  "God  likes  to  hear 
His  bairns  ay  asking  for  bread."  The  sound  of  the 
voice  of  men  uttering  their  petitions  to  Him  comes 
with  the  fragrance  of  incense  before  His  holy  altar. 
"Another  angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar,  having 
a  golden  censer ;  and  there  was  given  unto  him  much 
incense,  that  he  should  offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all 
saints  upon  the  golden  altar  which  was  before  the 
throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the  incense,  which  came 
with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before 
God  out  of  the  angel's  hand"  (Rev.  viii.  3,  4.)  "The 
four  and  twenty  elders  fell  down  before  the  Lamb, 
having  every  one  of  them  harps,  and  golden  vials 
full  of  odours,  which  are  the  prayers  of  the  saints" 


THE  GODWARD  SIDE  OF  PRAYER     97 

(Rev.  V.  8).  The  hunger  of  the  Father's  heart  is 
satisfied  when  He  finds  His  offspring  turning  to 
Him,  and  placing  simple  confidence  in  His  unfailing 
promises. 

Love's  chief  delight  is  giving,  yet  Love  is  an  im- 
perious force.  It  demands  something  from  the 
loved  ones.  Not  legally,  but  under  the  great  law  of 
love.  God's  great  Heart  of  Love  delights  in  giving. 
But  by  this  very  giving  He  seeks  to  bring  out  the 
latent  qualities  of  our  hearts.  How  reserved  we 
mostly  are!  How  hidden  from  our  nearest  and 
dearest!  This  reserve  He  claims  shall  be  broken 
down  towards  Him.  There  must  be  no  reserve  be- 
tween the  human  spirit  and  Himself.  Love  cannot 
bear  reserve.  It  must  abolish  it.  How  sweetly 
simple  does  Prayer  again  appear  to  be !  Could  any- 
thing be  more  effective  for  breaking  down  human 
reserve  than  the  appearing  of  the  unmasked  soul  in 
the  presence  of  God?  How  satisfying  to  Him  that 
His  loved  ones  should  appear  before  Him  in  con- 
scious and  entire  surrender ! 

A  new  significance  is  thus  given  to  Prayer.  We 
do  not  pray  simply  because  a  great  need  has  arisen 
or  some  difficulty  has  suddenly  appeared.     These 


98       THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

may  be  the  immediate  causes  of  our  getting  to 
Prayer.  There  is  a  deeper  reason  for  it.  We  pray 
because  by  this  we  enter  God's  presence  and  become 
one  with  Him.  Because  of  our  unity  with  Him,  He 
can  give  us  out  of  His  great  fulness,  laid  up  for  us  in 
Christ  Jesus.  In  giving  to  us  the  blessing.  He  im- 
parts to  us  Himself  and  receives  from  us  "our- 
selves." 

Prayer  becomes  a  mystical  act.  It  is  no  mere  ask- 
ing, and  granting,  and  receiving  of  material  or  even 
spiritual  benefits.  It  is  Love  giving  itself  out  in 
answer  to  love's  request,  and  receiving  the  returning 
worship  and  surrender.  Therefore  when  we  come 
to  pray  we  shall  remember  that  our  prayers  are  pleas- 
ing to  God ;  that  they  are  acceptable  to  Him. 

Shall  we  express  the  matter  in  colloquial  lan- 
guage? 

He  would  rather  that  we  should  pray  than  that  we 
should  not.  He  would  much  rather  that  we  should 
pray.  He  really  wishes  us  to  pray.  He  has  so  de- 
signed things  that  we  must  pray. 

So  Love  is  at  the  root  of  Prayer,  and  Love  gets 
its  way.  Not  only  does  Love  wish  to  grant  the  gifts, 
but  Love  wishes  to  hear  the  voice  of  the  loved  one 


THE  GODWARD  SIDE  OF  PRAYER     99 

expressing  the  need.  Those  voices  which  were  silent 
in  spiritual  death  are  now  learning  to  speak  the  lan- 
guage of  heaven.  Love  delights  to  hear  the  first 
lispings  and  the  gradual  perfecting  of  utterance. 
Love  so  delights  that  it  urges  to  further  speech  and 
further  requests.  The  Spirit  leads  the  spiritual  child 
on  until  the  voice  becomes  the  voice  of  a  full-grown 
man  in  Christ  Jesus. 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  GOD'S  SPHERE 


XII 

THE  ENLARGEMENT  OF  GOD'S  SPHERE 

GOD'S  operations  are  limited  by  boundaries 
which  He  Himself  has  set.  We  are  accus- 
tomed to  think  of  God  as  the  Infinite  One,  Whose 
will  is  supreme,  and  to  Whom  none  can  say  nay. 
This  is  true  in  the  ultimate.  God  is  supreme,  and  He 
is  working  out  His  own  purposes,  not  only  in  spite 
of  men's  opposition,  but  by  means  of  it.  How  weak 
and  vain  all  opposition  to  His  will  really  is,  will  one 
day  be  evident. 

It  is  nevertheless  true  that  just  as  God  has  set 
bounds  for  the  going  of  the  sun,  so  has  He  set  lines 
on  which  His  grace  shall  proceed.  He  does  not 
ignore  life  as  it  is  in  humanity,  but  He  takes  into 
account  the  will  and  the  affections  and  the  energy  of 
them  as  important  factors. 

He  became  man  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  His 
Son,  and  in  so  doing  He  made  manifest  a  great  truth 
which  has  always  had  force.    This  truth  is  that  in 

103 


104*     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

His  dealings  with  men  He  comes  on  to  the  same 
plane  as  they,  and  makes  His  actions  to  correspond 
with  their  constitutions  and  their  inherent  limita- 
tions. This,  of  course,  is  a  great  general  rule. 
Wherever  a  superior  force  comes  into  play,  it  has  to 
find  outlet  according  to  the  nature  and  capacity  of 
the  medium  through  which  it  is  manifested.  This 
naturally  applies  to  God's  dealings  with  man.  We 
are  not  straitened  in  Him,  but  in  ourselves. 

Hence  the  Infinite  God,  in  His  dealings  with  finite 
Man,  has  to  limit  Himself  according  to  the  consti- 
tutions and  capacity  of  men.  Now  the  glory  of  the 
Christian  is  that  he  has  received  an  enlarged  capac- 
ity, and  that  he  can  therefore  be  a  greater  and  more 
effective  medium  for  God  than  he  could  be  in  his 
natural  state.  This  is  speaking  comparatively,  and 
not  dealing  with  the  more  comprehensive  truth  that 
only  they  who  have  been  renewed  can  in  a  real  sense 
be  media  at  all. 

The  Christian  then  removes,  or  at  least  reduces, 
the  limitations  which  are  set  to  the  actions  of  God. 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  he  adds  to  the  opportun- 
ities for  God's  action.  That  is  to  say,  and  it  is  a 
wonderful  thought,  that  God  is  able  to  do  more  be- 


ENLARGEMENT  OF  GOD'S  SPHERE  105 

cause  there  is  a  renewed  heart  and  Hfe  in  a  man,  or  a 
body  of  men,  than  He  could  otherwise  do. 

This  gives  Prayer  a  new  dignity.  The  humble 
soul  bringing  petitions  to  God  lifts  that  for  which 
or  those  for  whom  he  prays  on  to  the  plane  where 
God  can  operate.  God's  desire  is  to  bless,  but  there 
are  so  many  hindrances  and  obstacles  that  His  grace 
cannot  reach  the  objects  of  His  desire.  Then  comes 
Prayer.  It  realizes  the  need  of  blessing  for  those 
persons  or  objects,  and  it  lifts  them  right  up  to  the 
floor  of  Heaven,  in  front  of  the  Mercy-Seat  of  God. 
Now  they  are  in  a  position  to  be  dealt  with.  Hith- 
erto they  were  difficult  to  get  at.  Now  they  are 
brought  within  the  great  benign  sphere  of  influence. 

Thus  Prayer  is  found  to  be  not  so  much  a  means 
of  bringing  God  to  see  as  we  do,  and  to  act  as  we 
desire,  but  rather  the  giving  of  opportunity  to  the 
Lord  to  carry  out  His  great  desires  and  purposes. 
The  Christian  can  thus  very  simply  and  effectively 
raise  that  which  is  low  and  sordid  right  into  the 
presence  of  God,  so  that  the  glorious  rays  from  His 
presence  may  have  direct  influence  on  what  is  prayed 
for. 

How  beautiful  it  would  be  if  we  were  thus  con- 


106     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

tinually  lifting  up  our  surroundings  and  those  whom 
we  meet.  Here  is  a  young  man  whom  we  see  in  the 
same  car  as  ourselves  as  w-e  go  to  business  in  the 
morning.  We  feel  interested  in  him,  and  lift  our 
hearts  in  prayer  to  God  about  him.  We  have  taken 
that  young  man  right  into  the  presence  of  God. 

We  next  encounter  those  in  the  office,  our  clients, 
those  who  obtain  orders  from  us,  our  relatives,  our 
social  friends  and  acquaintances,  our  minister,  our 
co-workers;  each  and  all  we  lift  into  the  presence  of 
God,  and  thus  create  greater  possibilities  for  them. 
What  a  thought  that  those  with  whom  we  come  into 
contact  stand  in  a  new  and  more  hopeful  relation  to 
God  because  of  our  acquaintance  with  them !  Surely 
to  us  life  will  become  the  richer,  and  we  shall  feel  in 
some  measure  like  the  apostle,  **as  poor,  yet  making 
many  rich"  (2  Cor.  vi.  10). 

The  blessing  which  is  sure  to  follow  our  action 
should  be  sufficient  incentive  to  us.  It  is,  however,  a 
less  sweet  thought  than  this,  that  by  so  doing  we  are 
allowing  Jesus  Christ  to  realize  more  fully  His 
great  love  towards  mankind.  We  are  removing  His 
obstacles.    We  are  making  Him  more  effective. 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PRAYER 


XIII 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  PRAYER 

IT  is  probable  that  as  soon  as  the  individual  be- 
gins to  realize  the  value  of  Prayer,  he  will  en- 
counter difficulties  in  the  exercise  of  it.  Now  diffi- 
culties in  Prayer,  as  in  Life,  are  more  often  practical 
than  theoretical.  It  is  the  practical  difficulty  which 
keeps  back  thousands  from  the  exercise  of  the 
Prayer  function. 

Custom,  or  a  sense  of  need,  draws  one  to  Prayer. 
For  a  little  the  thoughts  flow  and  free  utterance  is 
obtained.  Very  soon,  however,  the  mind  wanders. 
Something  of  the  earth  creeps  in,  and  force  is 
brought  to  bear  to  get  the  mind  centred  on  the 
petition.  This  is  a  constant  hindrance  to  the  exer- 
cise of  Prayer. 

The  lack  of  confidence  and  quiet  assurance  is  an- 
other. For  the  matter  is  largely  intangible.  There 
is  a  veil.  We  are  dealing  not  with  flesh  or  blood,  not 
with  what  we  can  handle,  but  with  something  which 

109 


110     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

is  *'just  beyond,"  and  which  needs  the  exercise  of  the 
faculty  of  faith  to  realize. 

These  two  difficulties  are  largely  one;  the  visible 
outweighing  the  invisible;  things  materially  present 
counting  for  more  than  things  spiritually  present; 
the  noise  of  the  outer  world  more  audible  than  the 
whisper  of  the  inner;  the  expression  of  the  outer,  as 
it  were,  within  the  sanctuary  of  the  inner;  the  echoes 
of  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  life  heard  above  the  sug- 
gestions of  the  quiet  and  peace  of  the  heart.  This  is 
the  great  difficulty  which  faces  all  who  endeavour  to 
get  into  the  presence  of  God,  and  to  learn  the  art  of 
Prayer. 

It  is  a  practical  difficulty  and  its  solution  lies  to 
some  extent  in  practice.  If  it  is  the  noise  of  the 
world  which  is  shutting  out  the  whispers  of  the 
Spirit,  then  quiet  must  be  wooed  and  cultivated.  The 
heart  must  learn  the  art  of  detachment  from  the 
visible  and  the  audible,  and  the  withdrawing  of  itself 
into  its  own  sanctuary. 

Now  Prayer  is  largely  coming  to  oneself.  A  with- 
drawal from  the  world,  and  into  the  sanctuary  of 
one's  own  experience,  means  a  discovering  of  one- 
self in  the  springs  of  one's  being.    If  this  self  which 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PRAYER  111 

is  so  manifested  is  a  fevered  restless  being,  then 
Prayer  must  to  some  extent  be  coloured  by  this  rest- 
lessness. 

What  therefore  is  wrong  is  that  we  are  not  living 
in  the  spirit  of  Prayer.  When  we  seek  to  pray,  what 
we  really  are  is  manifested.  When  we  try  to  bring 
ourselves  to  rest,  it  is  a  departure  from  our  ordinary 
manner  of  life  if  our  lives  are  restless.  We  are  as- 
suming an  attitude  which  is  foreign  to  us  for  the 
greater  portion  of  our  existence.  Were  we  to  live 
in  the  spirit  of  Prayer  all  day,  our  times  of  special 
Prayer  would  be  a  focussing  of  life's  ordinary  ulti- 
mates  into  set  occasions.  These  would  be  found  to 
be  our  greatest  times,  for  they  would  be  the  flower 
and  culmination  of  the  highest  and  yet  the  most 
characteristic  within  us. 

Thus  the  practical  difficulty  has  to  be  met  by 
practice  in  the  larger  sphere.  We  must  live  in  the 
attitude  of  Prayer.  The  presence  of  God  must  be  a 
constant  atmosphere,  and  not  sought  only  when  we 
have  petitions  to  offer.  This  is  the  broad  rule  for 
the  general  life,  but  it  does  not  dispense  with  the 
necessity  for  special  preparation.  Quiet  must  be 
cultivated,  and  to  this  end  meditation  is  of  great 


112     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

service.  Meditation  and  Prayer  are  in  fact  twin 
sisters.  Meditation  on  the  Word,  on  the  Love  of 
God,  on  the  Grace  of  Christ,  on  the  operations  of  the 
Spirit,  and  on  the  needs  of  man,  v^ill  lead  to  an  out- 
flow of  desire  and  petition. 

Although  there  is  a  danger  of  making  our  prayers 
too  set  and  formal,  yet  there  is  also  a  danger  of  them 
suffering  from  carelessness.  We  are  to  have  a  grand 
freedom  when  we  come  into  God's  presence,  but 
when  we  so  come  we  are  to  come  whole-heartedly 
and  with  full  realization.  Our  petitions  have  not  to 
be  prepared  so  much  as  ourselves.  If  our  hearts 
burn  within  us,  if  we  realize  God's  grace  and  man's 
great  need,  we  shall  be  able  to  pray  in  an  effective 
fashion.  We  require  to  be  more  thoughtful  and  to 
grasp  the  issues  better.  Then,  having  made  these 
our  own,  and  having  become  duly  impressed  by  them, 
we  can  approach  God.  It  is  not  reasonable  to  expect 
that  we  can  impress  God,  if  we  are  not  impressed 
ourselves. 

What  we  need  to  offer  is  not  Prayer  only,  but 
Prayer  with  our  thought  and  very  being  put  into 
it.  When  we  present  our  petition,  we  should  be  pre- 
senting a  part  of  ourselves.    This  cannot  be  unless 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  PRAYER  113 

we  and  the  petition  are  one.  And  this  cannot  be 
unless  the  mind  and  heart  have  dwelt  upon  the  need, 
and  have  been  stirred  and  interwoven  with  it.  When 
this  is  so,  we  shall  be  able  to  pray,  for  it  will  be 
we  ourselves  being  uttered. 


PRAYER  CUMULATIVE 


XIV 

PRAYER  CUMULATIVE 

THE  Lord  said:  *'Lay  not  up  for  yourselves 
treasures  upon  earth,  where  moth  and  rust 
doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  break  through  and 
steal"  (Matt.  vi.  19).  This  command  has  been  the 
cause  of  much  heart-burning.  Many  earnest  souls 
have  acted  on  it  literally,  and  have  made  no  pro- 
vision for  the  future.  With  this  aspect  we  do  not 
deal,  but  there  is  more  in  the  text  than  the  negative 
side.  The  Lord  went  on  to  say :  "Lay  up  for  your- 
selves treasures  in  heaven,  where  neither  moth  nor 
rust  doth  corrupt,  and  where  thieves  do  not  break 
through  nor  steal"  (Matt.  vi.  20).  Thus  there  is  a 
right  way  of  laying  up,  as  well  as  a  wrong  way. 

The  principle  of  providing  for  the  future  is  right. 
What  is  to  be  provided  is  the  great  question.  Now 
Prayer  is  something  which  can  be  accumulated. 
This  is  contrary  to  our  usual  idea,  which  is  that  as 
the  need  arises  it  can  be  met  by  Prayer,  and  thus  suf- 
ficient grace  can  be  obtained.    This  surely  is  a  very 

117 


118     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

hand-to-mouth  existence.  There  is  in  this  way  very 
Httle  chance  of  becoming  spiritual  milhonaires. 

The  power  of  Capital  is  realized  in  the  material 
world.  By  it  great  things  are  accomplished.  True, 
Labour  is  necessary,  but  Labour  alone  is  not  suffi- 
cient. Labour,  the  power  of  the  present,  and  Capi- 
ital,  the  stored  energy  of  the  past,  are  both  required 
for  material  progress. 

It  is  so  in  the  spiritual  world.  The  Bible  is  so 
much  Capital  which  our  Heavenly  Father  has  stored 
up  for  us.  The  heritage  of  our  Christian  hymns, 
such  as  *7^sus.  Lover  of  my  soul,"  Rock  of  Ages, 
cleft  for  me,"  "O  God,  our  help  in  ages  past,"  and 
*7esus,  the  very  thought  of  Thee,"  is  one  which 
awaits  our  entry  into  the  Christian  hfe,  and  makes 
us  from  our  very  start  "rich  towards  God"  (Luke 
xii.  21 ).  We  are  indeed  indebted  to  those  writers, 
both  ancient  and  modern,  who  have  left  us  such 
rich  treasure  of  song  and  literature. 

Now  there  are  others  than  these  writers  who  are 
not  so  well  recognized,  but  are  yet  as  effective.  There 
have  been  men  and  women,  aye  and  little  children 
too,  who  have  lived  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  have 
uttered  their  petitions  in  His  ears.    We  are  the  in- 


PRAYER  CUMULATIVE  119 

heritors  of  these  prayers.  There  is  no  Hmit  to  their 
action,  for  Science  emphasizes  this  point — that  the 
result  of  an  act  is  infinite,  and  no  Hmit  can  be  set  to 
it. 

Think  of  it.  These  men  and  women  in  the  Cata- 
combs of  Rome,  or  in  the  wild  beasts'  arena.  These 
old  worn-out  folk  in  the  dim  attics,  away  from  the 
rush  and  hurry  of  life.  Those  greyhaired  ministers 
in  the  quiet  of  their  country  parishes.  Those  young 
fresh  hearts  going  out  and  grasping  the  world  in 
the  hope  of  youth  and  bringing  missionary  effort 
into  the  presence  of  the  Eternal :  all  of  these  storing 
up  energy,  amassing  Capital,  in  the  power  of  which 
mighty  deeds  can  be  done  by  the  active  army  of  the 
Lord. 

There  is  a  story  of  a  Scottish  matron  last  century 
who  spent  many  an  hour  in  prayer.  The  main  bur- 
den of  her  petition  was  that  not  one  of  her  descend- 
ants to  the  end  of  time  should  perish.  She  had 
such  a  fear  of  this  that  she  prayed  specially  that  all 
descending  from  her  should  be  saved.  It  was  Prayer 
with  a  point.  We  cannot  realize  what  a  privilege  it 
must  be  to  belong  to  such  a  race.  The  blue  blood  of 
kings  is  nothing  to  this. 


120     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

For  Prayer  in  this  case  modifies  the  tendency  in- 
herent in  human  nature  to  get  away  from  God. 
Prayer,  ere  yet  the  engine  be  constructed,  has  taken 
and  laid  Hnes  for  it,  and  those  lines  have  the  heav- 
enly city  as  their  terminus.  We  do  not  discuss 
whether  the  train  will  of  necessity  arrive  at  the 
terminus  with  its  full  complement  of  carriages. 
What  Prayer  does  is  to  make  the  way  plain,  and  to 
make  it  harder  to  depart  from  the  living  God. 

Now  the  accumulation  of  capital  in  the  material 
world  is  often  largely  made  for  the  benefit  of  one's 
children.  Parents  realize  that  their  own  lives  are 
but  a  span,  but  they  desire  that  their  children  should 
get  every  chance  in  life.  The  busy  man  determines 
that  his  boys  will  not  need  to  be  handicapped  as  he 
was.  He  toils  and  moils,  that  one  boy  can  go  to  the 
university,  and  that  another  can  learn  engineering 
with  the  best  firm  that  one  girl  can  have  her  taste 
for  the  violin  indulged,  and  that  another  may  give 
herself  to  painting.  The  father  and  the  mother 
gradually  lose  ambition  in  regard  to  themselves,  and 
centre  it  in  their  children.  To  the  father  and  mother 
there  comes  a  great  desire  to  do  the  best  they  can  for 
their  young  people.     Efforts  are  redoubled,  econ- 


PRAYER  CUMULATIVE  121 

omies  are  practised,  and  the  young  people  have  every 
chance  of  starting  Hfe  with  a  fair  opportunity  of 
success. 

But  what  of  the  inner  and  real  life?  Shall  the 
outer  be  provided  for,  and  not  that  which  is  more 
essential  ?  It  is  done  too  often.  Many  a  consecrated 
man  forgets  to  consecrate  wife  and  family.  But 
by  Prayer  he  can  provide  for  his  family.  One  boy 
is  going  to  the  university.  Why  cannot  the  father 
precede  him  there  in  Prayer?  What  kind  of  life 
will  he  lead?  What  sort  of  temptations  will  the 
young  man  need  to  contend  with?  What  sort  of  in- 
fluence does  the  father's  heart  wash  the  son  to  ex- 
ercise? What  is  to  be  the  upshot  of  it  all?  \\^hy 
should  the  Lord  and  the  father  not  hold  holy  inter- 
course regarding  this  new  phase  which  is  coming  on 
the  family  life? 

And  then  there  are  the  daughters.  Shall  not 
father  and  mother  guard  their  steps  as  from  a 
watch-tower?  What  pits  may  be  lying  before  the 
innocent  girls!  What  an  expanse  of  joyful  love,  or 
what  depth  of  shameful  misery!  Who  can  tell? 
Many  have  been  as  beautiful  and  sweet  and  innocent 
as  they,   and  have  been  dragged   down  by  some 


122     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

enemy.  Shall  not  the  parents  then  place  them  under 
the  protection  of  the  Almighty? 

Here  is  boundless  opportunity  for  those  who  de- 
sire to  pray.  Prayer  is  not  limited  to  the  present.  It 
is  linked  up  to  the  past,  it  deals  with  the  present, 
and  it  is  potential  energy  for  the  future.  When  we 
lie  cold  in  the  ground,  forgotten  by  nearly  all  on 
earth,  or  perchance  looked  upon  while  still  living  as 
"old  fossils,"  our  prayers  can  go  flowing  on.  They 
may  be  as  fountains  from  the  hills  of  God.  Some  of 
us  know  in  our  own  case  that  our  lives  have  been  en- 
circled by  the  prayers  of  those  who  have  gone  be- 
fore us. 

It  is  not  only  as  regards  our  descendants,  or  the 
Church,  or  the  men  of  the  future,  that  Prayer  thus 
applies.  It  can  apply  to  ourselves.  Why  should  we 
always  be  on  the  defensive  ?  Why  should  we  need  to 
pray  chiefly  when  we  experience  attack  from  the 
enemy?  The  trenches  of  Prayer  are  grand  places 
for  making  a  stand  and  preventing  the  enemy  sweep- 
ing the  field.  But  ours  is  a  cause  which  is  essenti- 
ally aggressive.  If  we  do  not  go  forward,  we  are 
driven  back  in  defeat. 

Let  us  be  prepared  for  what  is  coming  on  us,  but 


PRAYER  CUMULATIVE  123 

let  us  be  more.  Let  us  be  ready  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  to  be  the  assaulting  party.  Let  this  assault 
be  made  in  the  inner  chamber  first.  Then  let  us  send 
forward  our  reconnaissance  parties.  Let  us  measure 
up  our  enemies'  position,  let  us  talk  it  over  with  our 
Commander-in-Chief,  let  us  meet  the  foes'  forward 
movements  almost  ere  they  have  begun. 

So  what  is  yet  to  come,  as  w^ell  as  the  present,  is 
brought  within  the  field  of  operations,  and  we  learn 
that  our  Commander  is  equal  to  the  future  also.  We 
require  accumulated  heart  strength  and  spirit  rich- 
ness. We  need  to  be  ''rich  towards  God"  (Luke  xii. 
21 ).  And  we  can  be,  if  we  get  into  the  inner  cham- 
ber with  our  God,  and  allow  Him  to  give  us  wealth 
upon  wealth,  and  strength  upon  strength. 


IN  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRAYER 


XV 
IN  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRAYER 

THE  Christian  needs  a  great  deal  of  training, 
and  God  has  many  schools.  There  are  the 
School  of  Affliction,  the  School  of  Life's  Experience, 
the  School  of  Persecution.  One  of  the  grandest 
schools  is  that  of  Prayer. 

It  is  usually  a  long  time  before  the  Christian  dis- 
covers that  he  has  been  put  to  school  when  he  prays. 
His  first  idea  is  that  he  is  the  eager  one,  and  that 
God  waits  behind.  There  must  be  compulsion  used. 
His  views  must  be  impressed  on  God.  He  must  be 
urgent,  else  what  he  wishes  may  be  passed  over. 

How  things  change  as  the  years  go  on !  The  self- 
confidence  is  lost.  By  bitter  experience  he  learns 
that  what  he  wished  and  prayed  for  has  not  always 
been  what  is  most  desirable.  He  understands  that 
text:  "The  Lord  gave  them  their  request,  but  sent 
leanness  into  their  soul"  (Ps.  cvi.  15).  Then  he 
also  begins  to  find  out  that  he  is  not  the  eager  one 

127 


128     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

after  all.  God  may  seem  to  keep  behind,  but  He  is 
really  never  late.  The  young  Christian  is  often 
premature.  He  would  plunge  into  new  ventures,  he 
would  commence  what  might  never  come  to  fruition. 
He  would  do  worse  than  this.  In  his  zeal  to  plant 
new  flowers  in  God's  garden,  he  would  root  out 
many  existing  ones.  His  clumsy  foot  would  crush 
the  little  sprouting  blades  which  are  doing  their  best 
to  force  their  way  through  the  crust  of  the  earth. 

God's  ways  are  more  gentle.  He  does  not  roughly 
root  out  the  tares,  lest  the  wheat  also  may  suffer. 
He  does  not  condemn  wholesale  the  Church  organi- 
zation, although  He  may  refuse  to  confine  Himself 
to  recognized  forms.  He  may  seem  more  indiffer- 
ent, but  He  is  really  more  farseeing.  "Let  both 
grow  together"  (Matt.  xiii.  30),  He  says,  and  His 
great  Love  hopeth  all  things.  As  the  Christian 
soul  realizes  the  Lord's  tenderness  in  regard  to  His 
dealing  with  itself,  it  realizes  also  that  He  is  tender 
with  others  also. 

"There's  a  wideness  in  God*s  mercy 

Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea; 

There's  a  kindness  in  His  justice 

Which  is  more  than  liberty. 


IN  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRAYER        129 

For  the  love  of  God  is  broader 
Than  the  measure  of  man's  mind, 

And  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 
Is  most  wonderfully  kind." 

The  tenderness  is,  however,  found  to  be  blended 
with  persistence.  The  Christian  learns  that  the  soft 
gentle  touch  of  the  Spirit  is  very  sensitive.  No 
liberties  can  be  taken,  or  the  sense  of  the  abiding 
presence  is  withdrawn.  So  there  comes  a  realization 
of  a  constancy  on  God's  part,  of  an  eagerness  to 
bless,  before  which  his  own  little  desires  to  help  pale. 
He  discovers  that  God,  after  all,  is  the  Eager  One. 
He  had  waited  on  the  Lord,  only  to  find  that  the 
Lord  had  gone  on  in  front.  The  Spirit  may  forbid 
to  speak  at  Mysia,  but  He  gives  the  call  to  go  to 
needy  Macedonia.  The  heart  discovers,  as  it  draws 
closer  to  the  Throne  of  Grace,  that  its  own  little 
feeble  yearnings  are  but  echoes  of  the  great  yearn- 
ings of  Love  which  has  filled  the  ages. 

Prayer  becomes  a  heart  analysis.  The  Christian 
at  first  makes  Prayer  all  voice,  later  he  begins  to 
listen.  The  mouth  says  less,  the  ear  hears  more.  For 
a  calm  comes  into  the  heart,  and  a  sense  of  expec- 
tancy. There  is  an  unconscious  waiting  on  the  Spirit 
for  His  promptings.    The  soul  desires  to  be  led  out 


130     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

in  petition.  As  new  revelations  come,  as  a  flash  of 
light  is  thrown  on  a  purpose,  or  something  to  be 
sought  after,  the  heart  of  the  seeker  is  illumined  at 
the  same  time. 

We  pray  that  a  certain  Christian  work  may  be 
blessed.  In  the  very  praying  we  learn  how  much  the 
tendency  to  self-glory  in  that  work  seeks  to  come  in. 
We  pray  for  closer  union  with  Christ,  for  a  greater 
sense  of  prayer.  As  we  pray,  the  consciousness  of 
the  desire  being  for  blessings  on  ourselves,  individ- 
ually, comes  home.  We  are  forced  to  go  on  and 
pray  for  others.  Nay,  when  we  proceed,  we  dis- 
cover that  in  our  very  prayers  we  have  been  selfish. 

Our  very  seeking  of  union  with  the  Lord  begins  to 
take  a  new  meaning.  For  we  learn,  not  only  that 
we  should  be  united  with  Him  in  being,  but  that  He 
calls  us  to  union  in  sacrifice.  Union  is  seen  to  be 
not  self-aggrandisement,  but  self -expenditure.  If 
we  yield  to  this  Man  of  Nazareth,  He  can  only  do 
with  us  as  He  did  with  himself.  He  can  only  spend 
us  on  behalf  of  humanity. 

The  tendency  to  introspection,  and  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  self-life,  which  is  promoted  by  turning 
inwards,  is  counteracted  when  we  find  that  we  are 


IN  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRAYER        131 

united  to  the  greatest  Self-Expender  who  ever  ex- 
isted. Prayer  introduces  to  sacrifice.  We  spell  the 
word  slowly  at  first  as  we  turn  the  pages  of  our 
Prayer-Primer,  but  it  is  one  which  comes  over  and 
over,  and  we  shall  learn  to  utter  it  fluently.  Sacri- 
fice comes  from  the  open,  and  enters  the  chamber — 
from  the  outer  life  into  the  region  of  heart  and  will. 
The  great  surrender  is  made  at  Gethsemane,  and 
Calvary  follows  in  natural  sequence.  Meditation  on 
Him  who  sacrificed  Himself  has,  as  its  complement, 
intercourse  with  Him  Who  is  still  the  One  Who  lives 
for  His  people  and  expends  Himself  for  them.  As 
the  spiritual  conversation  flows,  the  sacrificial  spirit 
is  caught,  and  welcomed. 

The  Lord  does  not  only  introduce  to  sacrifice.  He 
gives  His  joy,  fulness,  and  abiding  peace.  *'He  that 
loseth  his  life  for  My  sake  and  the  Gospel's  shall 
save  it"  (Mark  viii.  5).  The  Lord  makes  good  those 
words.  We  enter  into  His  purposes,  we  catch  His 
spirit  of  patience  and  resolution,  we  willingly  yield 
ourselves  to  carry  out  His  will. 

Judged  from  one  standpoint,  to  be  a  Christian 
is  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world.  Experienced  from 
the  inner  side,  being  a  Christian  is  not  only  easy. 


132     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

it  is  unavoidable.  For  the  Lord  impresses  Himself 
on  His  follower,  and  the  believer  can  do  none  other. 
Hence  it  is  that  the  Apostle  John  writes :  *'He  that 
is  born  of  God,  cannot  sin"  (i  John  iii.  9;  v.  18). 
It  is  unnatural  for  the  new  nature  to  sin,  it  is  natural 
for  it  to  love  and  obey  God,  and  to  love  and  serve 
mankind.  Thus  sacrifice  and  service,  in  common 
language,  are  second  natures.  The  soul  pines  to 
serve,  and  the  Lord's  joy  in  giving  Himself  on 
Calvary  becomes  in  some  measure  His  servant's  joy, 
as  he  *'lets  go"  his  life,  and  carries  yet  further  his 
Master's  self-abnegation. 

There  is  thus  much  in  this  School  of  Prayer.  We 
have  seen  that  wisdom,  tenderness,  resoluteness, 
sacrifice,  and  gladness  in  service  are  all  fruits  to  be 
gathered  in  His  garden.  The  great  truth  of  depend- 
ence on  God,  and  its  corollary  of  comparative  inde- 
pendence as  regards  man,  also  comes  home  to  the 
heart.  Dependence  on  our  fellow-men  is  felt  by 
many,  especially  in  the  poorer  walks  of  life.  The 
rich  man  smiles,  and  the  poor  man  can  lift  his  head 
and  his  heart,  for  life  will  not  be  so  oppressive  as 
formerly.  The  rich  man  frowns,  and  the  whips 
become  scorpions. 


IN  THE  SCHOOL  OF  PRAYER        133 

It  is  a  marvellous  thing  that  the  Lord  should 
suffer  His  own  to  be  at  the  mercy  of  men  of  no 
principle.  Sensitive  flesh  and  blood  can  suffer  much, 
and  the  fine  delicately-moulded  spirit  can  have  its 
fibres  strained  to  breaking-point.  Yet  He  allows  all 
this,  and  the  world  looks,  and  asks  why  He  does  not 
interfere.  He  will  do  so  one  day.  All  this  will  stop. 
But  now  He  enters  into  the  inner  life  and  gives  grace 
to  bear.  He  is  one  in  the  inner  life  with  the  sufferer, 
and  pours  the  oil  of  His  grace  over  the  gaping 
wounds.  Thus  a  deeper  sense  of  dependence  on 
Him  grows  in  the  heart,  and  along  with  this  comes 
a  feeling  of  independence  of  the  outer. 

Not  that  the  outer  is  ignored,  but  that  the  inner 
is  seen  to  be  so  very  much  more  important,  and  the 
visible  is  relegated  to  a  secondary  place.  The  soul 
places  less  stress  on  it.  *T  say  unto  you,  my 
friends,"  said  Jesus,  "be  not  afraid  of  them  which 
kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they 
can  do"  (Luke  xii.  4). 

In  this  School  of  Prayer  there  is  much  to  be 
learned.  Just  as  in  a  university  it  is  not  so  much 
the  subjects  which  are  studied,  but  the  master-mind 
which  deals  with  them.    Years  afterwards,  when  the 


134     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

details  of  the  study  have  been  forgotten,  the  marks 
of  the  vigorous  personaHty,  and  commanding  in- 
tellect, and  comprehensive  emotions  of  the  professor 
are  felt  by  the  student.  In  the  School  of  Prayer  we 
learn  much.  The  learning  is  largely  personal.  For 
it  is  the  coming  into  contact  with  the  Great  and 
Perfect  One  which  ennobles  and  teaches.  The  very 
lifting  of  the  latch  in  this  school  brings  us  into  the 
atmosphere  of  spiritual  culture. 


CORPORATE  EXPRESSION 


XVI 
CORPORATE  EXPRESSION 

THE  individual  is  the  germ  of  the  Church.  Not 
only  is  he  the  unit  of  which  the  Church  is 
built  up — the  molecule — but  what  applies  to  him 
individually  applies  in  a  collective  manner  to  the 
Church.  Thus  any  advantage  or  disadvantage  in  a 
method  or  system  applies  to  Church  as  well  as  to 
individual.  There  are  of  course  modifying  influ- 
ences, but  taken  as  a  whole,  what  is  good  for  the 
unit  is  good  for  the  mass.  Now,  Prayer  has  been 
seen  to  have  a  tendency,  in  regard  to  individuals,  to 
develop  the  gentler  characteristics.  The  robuster 
qualities  were  perceived  to  be  in  some  danger  of 
being  neglected. 

It  was  found,  however,  that  in  the  individual 
case  there  was  a  compensatory  element.  The  will 
of  man,  although  brought  into  subjection  to  God, 
was  called  into  action  in  a  virile  manner.  Prayer 
in  the  corporate  sense  has  also  a  tendency  to  develop 

137 


138     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

the  finer  qualities.  As  the  heart  of  a  people  turns 
inwards,  the  outward  part  of  its  existence  loses  much 
of  its  glitter.  A  great  deal  of  the  showy  part  of 
church-life  would  disappear  if  Prayer  became  the 
ruling  element  in  its  life. 

Some  things  would  drop  off  very  quickly,  and 
practically  without  conscious  action.  Many  things 
may  be  felt  to  be  inconsistent,  and  are  probably  only 
tolerated  because  they  are  a  seeming  necessity. 
These  would  quickly  take  their  place  outside  the 
sphere  of  Church  organization.  There  are  practices 
in  the  way  of  raising  money  which  civil  law  frowns 
on.  Prayer  would  soon  show  that  spiritual  law 
was  yet  more  exacting  than  civil  law,  that  Jesus 
Christ  demands  greater  purity  than  the  magistrate. 

There  are  also,  however,  things  right  in  them- 
selves which  would  cease  altogether  or  take  a  sub- 
ordinate position.  For  instance,  much  of  the  or- 
ganization for  which  Churches  are  famous  would 
disappear.  This  is  no  slight  matter.  If  many  were 
asked  what  stands  between  the  world  and  the  deluge 
of  worldliness  and  sin,  the  answer  would  be  an 
organized  Church. 

Think  of  it!     Take  away  the  organization,  and 


CORPORATE  EXPRESSION  139 

the  whole  fabric  of  truth  and  right  appears  to  be 
threatened.  For  organization  is  the  form,  the  body 
which  the  Church  takes.  We  cannot  conceive  of 
spirit  without  form.  Our  minds  ever  seek  to  create 
a  form  for  the  spirit.  Yet  though  we  are  bodies 
and  spirits  the  spirit  ever  strives  against  the  body 
and  the  body  against  the  spirit.  Christ  has  redeemed 
both.  A  yielded  body  becomes  the  servant  of  the 
spirit.  Yet  it  must  ever  be  kept  in  its  rightful  posi- 
tion as  a  servant.  So  the  organization  of  the  Church 
is  a  redeemed  and  sanctified  body.  Yet  here  also, 
although  it  should  be  on  the  lower  plane,  it  ever 
seeks  to  become  the  predominant  feature. 

Now  Prayer  brings  a  Church  low.  There  is  little 
form,  little  show,  no  appeal  to  the  general  public. 
All  is  a  proclamation  of  weakness.  Yet  all  can  be 
a  declaration  of  strength.  The  Church  triumphant, 
the  Church  regnant,  is  the  Church  at  the  foot  of 
the  steps  of  the  Throne  of  Mercy.  They  who  love 
the  Church  wish  to  see  her  strong  in  influence.  They 
wish  to  see  her  admitted  on  all  hands  as  mighty. 
They  wish  to  be  able  to  say:  "Beautiful  in  all  the 
earth  is  Mount  Zion." 

But  recognition  of  influence  by  the  world  is  little 


140     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

compared  to  possession  of  influence.  The  world 
will  be  forced  to  take  note  when  the  influence  is  felt. 
The  Church  must  become  influential  with  God  before 
it  can  become  influential  with  men. 

What  applies  to  the  individual  applies  to  the 
Church  also.  \\Tiat  she  is  in  her  inner  heart,  she 
w^ill  be  very  soon  in  her  outward  bearing.  Why 
has  the  Church  so  little  influence  in  many  quarters  ? 
Because  she  is  sick  at  heart.  Because  she  has  lost 
touch  with  God.  Because  the  inner  is  withered. 
We  have  outlasted  our  inward  vigour.  The  fire  and 
energ}'  built  up  a  vigorous  body,  fair  and  strong. 
The  body  is  here  still,  but  the  fire  is  to  a  large  extent 
absent. 

So  the  body  is  withering  also,  and  we  must  devise 
this  means  and  the  other  to  keep  our  membership 
up.  Very  simply  and  very  quietly,  however,  must 
we  learn  that  only  as  we  can  express  ourselves  to 
God  can  we  utter  ourselves  to  man.  Only  as  we 
are  impressed  by  Him  can  we  impress  the  world. 
Only  as  we  appear  before  Him  in  our  naked  reality 
can  we  tell  upon  our  fellows.  The  truth  will  out — 
what  we  are  in  what  we  can  give  expression  to. 
The  Church  must  ever  be  deeper  than  she  appears; 


CORPORATE  EXPRESSION  141 

more  earnest  at  heart  than  in  action.  The  outward 
is  ever  only  a  development  of  the  inward. 

The  triumph  of  the  Church  is  to  be  no  mere 
future  matter.  To-day  she  can  be  queen,  regnant, 
overcoming,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth.  The  Church 
even  now  can  rise  above  her  failures  and  enter  into 
that  dominion  which  is  hers,  by  right  of  her  Lord's 
love  and  grace. 

It  is  well  to  long,  seek  for,  and  rejoice  in,  the 
life  of  victory  for  ourselves.  Grander  far  to  seek 
it  for  the  corporate  body  of  Christians;  that  all 
should  desire,  know,  and  exercise  the  power  which 
is  the  right  of  all,  through  Jesus  Christ  the  Lord 
of  the  Church. 

"With  His  own  blood  He  bought  her 
To  be  His  holy  bride." 

If  it  be  true  that  ''Christ  loved  the  Church"  (Eph. 
V.  25),  we  too  should  place  her  above  our  own 
spiritual  interests,  and  long  for  her  cleansing  and 
sanctification.  "When  the  Lord  turned  again  the 
captivity  of  Zion,  we  were  like  unto  them  that 
dreamed.  Then  was  our  mouth  filled  with  laughter 
and  our  tongue  with  singing"  (Ps.  cxxvl.  1,2). 

It  is  no  easy  matter  for  the  individual  to  learn 


142     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

to  pray.  It  is  more  difficult  for  an  organization. 
There  is  a  Divine  art  in  it.  It  often  takes  time. 
The  petitioners  have  to  be  Hke  players  in  a  team. 
They  have  to  pray  together  often  before  they  learn 
to  be  complementary  to  one  another.  Yet  how 
glorious  would  be  the  result  of  men  learning  to  pray 
in  the  Unity  of  the  Spirit!  Such  prayers  have  an 
influence  greater  far  than  the  combined  single  units 
of  prayer.  For  the  fire  spreads  until  each  heats  the 
other  and  all  are  afire.  The  fire  spreads,  there  is 
a  bright  red  glow,  there  is  dark  red,  and  lo,  at  last, 
there  is  white  heat.  Then  can  the  great  Master 
Worker  fashion  as  He  will. 


FULL  ASSURANCE 


XVII 
FULL  ASSURANCE 

THERE  are  many  Christians  who  rejoice  in  full 
assurance  of  Salvation.  Yet  they  have  not 
full  assurance  in  Prayer.  There  was  a  day  when 
to  rejoice  in  full  assurance  of  Salvation  was  taken 
as  almost  presumptuous.  The  old  Scotch  idea,  "Na, 
na,  I  wouldna  be  too  positive,"  was  the  expression 
of  the  thoughts  of  many  devout  souls.  Nowadays 
it  is  not  considered  as  honouring  to  God  that  Chris- 
tians should  entertain  doubts  as  to  their  eternal 
Salvation.  To  doubt  is  now  felt  to  detract  from 
the  promises  so  freely  uttered  in  the  Word.  In  a 
similar  fashion  the  Christian  should  be  free  from 
doubts  as  regards  his  prayers.  He  should  utter  his 
wishes  and  feel  the  eternal  quiet  in  his  heart  as  in 
full  assurance  he  leaves  his  petition  with  his  God. 

The  writer  of  the  Hebrews  speaks  of  this.  "Let 
us,"  he  says,  "draw  near  with  a  true  heart  in  full 
assurance  of  faith"  (Heb.  x.  22).    What  supplies 

145 


146     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

this  assurance?  It  is  not  because  we  are  convinced 
that  we  are  asking  the  right  thing.  It  is  because  we 
are  assured  of  our  right  to  draw  near.  Here  is  how 
it  is  put.  ^'Having  therefore,  brethren,  boldness  to 
enter  into  the  hoHest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  by  a 
new  and  living  way  which  He  hath  consecrated  for 
us,  through  the  veil,  that  is  to  say,  His  flesh;  and 
having  an  High  Priest  over  the  house  of  God;  let 
us  draw  near  with  a  true  heart  in  full  assurance  of 
faith,  having  our  hearts  sprinkled  from  an  evil  con- 
science, and  our  bodies  washed  with  pure  water" 
(Heb.  X.  19-22). 

What  makes  the  writer  so  confident  is  his  vision 
of  the  Christ,  crucified  for  him,  and  interceding  for 
him.  It  is  the  vision  of  Christ  as  the  great  High 
Priest,  first  offering  up  Himself,  and  now  represent- 
ing us  in  the  presence  of  the  Father.  When  the  soul 
realizes  that  it  is  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  it  comes 
with  confidence  to  the  Throne  of  Grace.  It  rejoices 
that  it  does  not  come  in  its  own  name,  but  in  the 
name  of  Christ. 

''Whatsoever,"  said  Jesus,  "ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,  that  will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified 
in  the  Son.     If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  my  name  I 


FULL  ASSURANCE  147 

will  do  it"  (John  xiv.  13,  14).  And  again:  *'Ye 
have  not  chosen  Me,  but  I  have  chosen  you,  and 
ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  forth  and  bring 
forth  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  remain :  that 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  My  name, 
He  may  give  it  you"  (John  xv.  16). 

Christ  places  great  stress  on  *'In  My  name." 
What  does  this  mean?  Its  significance  is  always 
understood  in  the  case  of  an  ambassador.  What 
he  does,  he  does  in  the  name  of  the  King.  More 
than  this,  he  does  it  instead  of  the  King.  He  really 
makes  the  King  do  it. 

The  significance  of  this  is  great  in  the  spiritual 
realm.  What  we  do  in  the  name  of  Christ  is  done 
by  us  on  behalf  of  Christ.  We  really  make  Jesus 
Christ  do  it.  That  is  where  the  aw  fulness  comes 
in  of  doing  anything  unworthy,  when  we  name  the 
name  of  Jesus  or,  in  common  language,  when  we 
profess  to  be  His  followers.  For  one  of  two  things 
must  then  happen.  Either  we  seek  to  drag  Christ 
into  an  unworthy  position,  or  He  has  to  withdraw 
from  us.  We  do  not  abide.    He  does  not  abide  in  us. 

There  were  seven  brothers  who  thought  that  by 
naming  Jesus  they  could  exorcise  devils.     ''J^^us  I 


148     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

know,"  said  the  evil  spirit,  "and  Paul  I  know,  but 
who  are  ye?"  (Acts  xix.  15),  and  the  men  suffered 
severely  for  their  presumption.  They  had  used  the 
name  of  Jesus,  and  had  found  that  it  was  a  sword 
to  smite  them. 

It  is  no  light  thing  to  use  the  name  of  Jesus.  We 
have  to  beware  of  taking  His  name  in  vain.  Yet 
on  this  account  we  must  not  shrink  from  using  it. 
The  son  who  bears  his  father's  honoured  name  is 
proud  to  use  it.  It  gives  him  entree  to  social  and 
business  circles,  to  which  otherwise  he  would  be  a 
stranger. 

The  Lord  knows  the  potency  of  His  name.  "All 
power,"  He  said,  "is  given  unto  Me  in  heaven  and 
on  earth"  (Matt,  xxviii.  18).  But  with  Him  the 
rule  always  is  "that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be 
also"  (John  xiv.  3).  There  is  no  joy  for  Jesus 
which  He  does  not  wish  to  share  with  His  people. 
The  name  which  God  has  placed  above  every  name, 
"that  in  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow 
.  .  .  and  every  tongue  confess  that  He  is  Lord" 
(Phil.  ii.  10,  it),  that  name  and  its  glofy  He  wishes 
to  share  with  us. 

He  knows  its  potency.    He  knows  how  it  prevails 


FULL  ASSURANCE  149 

with  God.  Therefore  he  says:  **Ask  in  my  name." 
*Tray/'  He  says,  ''as  if  I  were  praying.  I  am  in 
Heaven,  you  are  on  earth.  Pray  instead  of  Me,  let 
Me  pray  through  you.  I  do  so  wish  to  utter  petitions 
for  the  blessing  of  man.  Be  you  My  mouthpiece, 
whereby  I  can  utter  My  deep  longing.  And  when 
you  pray,"  He  promises,  "I  will  take  these  prayers 
and  make  them  Mine.  They  will  come  before  God, 
and  He  will  hear  them  and  answer  them." 

This  then  is  what  will  bring  confidence  to  our 
hearts.  He  is  worthy.  He  is  the  Eternal  Son  of 
God.  He  is  the  Messiah,  the  Anointed  One,  the 
One  set  apart  for  this  work.  He  is  worthy  because 
He  has  given  His  life  for  the  redemption  of  the 
world.  He  is  worthy,  for  He  is  set  apart  by  His 
own  great  act  of  consecration.  He  is  worthy,  be- 
cause this  is  His  business,  He  lives  for  this.  Ah, 
how  our  souls  come  to  rest  as  we  regard  His  worthi- 
ness! 

"This  is  my  rest,  Here  still  I'll  stay, 
For  I  do  like  it  well." 

Thus  we  find  ourselves  in  only  a  secondary  posi- 
tion. It  is  not,  as  we  had  crudely  imagined,  we 
who  are  the  originators  or  instigators  of  Prayer. 


150     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

We  are  not  in  front  of  the  Lord,  and  we  do  not 
therefore  require  an  effort  to  bring  Him  to  our  way 
of  thinking.  Our  part  is  that  of  auxiHaries.  We 
have  to  learn  humbly  and  simply  what  His  will  is : 
to  catch  His  spirit.  Then  when  we  are  imbued  with 
His  desires  we  offer  them  up  as  complementary  to 
Him,  as  "filling  up"  here  on  earth,  perhaps  in  a 
very  crude  way,  what  He  stands  for  in  heaven. 

There  is  that  Mighty  One  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  is  seen  He  who  is  the  Chief  Factor.  On  Him 
all  depends.  Here,  in  the  valley,  are  seen  His 
humble  co-operators.  To  their  hands  He  has 
entrusted  His  interests.  It  is  no  child's  play  this. 
It  is  Christ's  work  being  done  on  earth. 

This  is  the  thought  I  need.  It  will  not  overpower 
me.  The  very  greatness  of  it  will  lift  my  prayers 
from  the  low  level.  It  will  set  them  in  the  high  tide 
of  the  Master's  own  purposes.  In  prayer  as  in  every 
department  of  life  it  will  be,  "Not  I,  but  Christ  who 
liveth — who  prayeth — in,  and  through  me." 

"The  Lord,  He — He  Himself — is  become  my 
salvation.'* 


EXPENDITURE  AND  RECOUPMENT 


XVIII 
EXPENDITURE  AND  RECOUPMENT 

THE  heart  which  spends  itself  in  Prayer  has 
often  the  "spent"  feehng.  It  has  given  itself 
away  for  others,  and  it  feels  weary  as  regards  itself. 
Many  an  earnest  soul  rises  from  Prayer  with  a  sense 
of  weakness.  The  realization  of  this  weakness  is 
apt  to  hinder  the  full  flow  of  assurance.  It  is  well, 
therefore,  to  know  how  to  reassure  the  heart.  There 
is  one  great  source  of  assurance — the  Word  of  God. 
There  are  many  ways  in  which  the  Word  will  assist. 
Of  these  there  are  three  which  are  main  lines  of  help. 
In  the  first  place,  the  promises  given  in  regard 
to  prayer  itself  are  purposely  designed  to  encourage. 
"In  everything,  by  prayer  and  supplication,  let  your 
requests  be  made  known  unto  God;  and  the  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding  shall  keep 
your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus"  (Phil, 
iv.  6-7).  "He  that  asketh  receiveth.  He  that  seeketh 
findeth"    (Matt.  vii.  8).     "Pray  without  ceasing" 

153 


154     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

(i  Thess.  V.  17).  "What  man  among  you?  .  .  . 
How  much  more  shall  your  Heavenly  Father" 
(Matt.  vii.  9-1 1 ).  "Casting  all  your  care  upon  Him, 
for  He  careth  for  you"  (i  Peter  v.  7).  And  so  on, 
for  the  Bible  is  full  of  promises  in  regard  to  the 
answer  of  Prayer. 

Then  there  are  the  promises  in  regard  to  specific 
needs.  Is  one  troubled  about  the  state  of  the 
Church?  then  we  can  read:  "Thou  shalt  arise,  and 
have  mercy  upon  Zion"  (Ps.  cii.  13).  "Christ  loved 
the  Church,  and  gave  Himself  for  it"  (Eph.  v.  25). 
Are  our  material  things  perplexing  us  ?  The  promise 
runs :  "Your  Heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have 
need  of  all  these  things'*  (Matt.  vi.  32).  Is  it  the 
power  of  Sin  which  threatens  our  peace?  We  again 
take  heart,  for  "where  sin  abounded  grace  did  much 
more  abound"  (Rom.  v.  20),  and  "Sin  shall  not  have 
dominion  over  you,  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law 
but  under  grace"  (Rom.  vi.  14).  Or  is  there  a 
resurrection  of  our  old  sense  of  guilt?  How  calm- 
ing the  words:  "Who  forgiveth  all  thy  iniquities" 
(Ps.  ciii.  3).  With  what  arguments  does  the  Word 
supply  us,  and  what  heart  assurance  does  it  afford 
for  every  position ! 


EXPENDITURE  AND  RECOUPMENT    155 

The  third  characteristic  action  of  the  Word  in 
regard  to  Prayer  is  that  it  stimulates  to  closer  inter- 
course. It  is  not  only  the  specific  passages  dealing 
with  Prayer,  nor  those  special  promises  dealing 
with  individual  needs,  which  help  Prayer.  It  will 
be  found  that  the  devout  soul  is  readily  drawn  to 
petition  and  soul  intercourse  by  meditation  on  any 
portion  of  the  Word. 

The  believer  reads  about  Abraham.  He  ponders 
on  this  man  who  gave  up  home  and  country,  and 
went  forth  at  the  call  of  God.  He  dwells  on  his 
faith  in  regard  to  the  birth  of  his  son;  he  thinks 
of  his  willingness  to  give  up  his  boy.  All  this  comes 
home  to  his  heart,  and  a  great  longing  arises  that 
he  too  may  be  a  pilgrim  in  the  earth;  willing  to 
follow  the  call  and  obey  the  direction  of  the  Spirit. 
When  the  iire  begins  to  burn,  and  the  desires  to 
bubble  up,  there  must  be  recourse  to  Prayer,  for  the 
heart  itself  is  beginning  to  yearn  and  to  crave  for 
utterance. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  entrance  into  the 
court  of  Prayer  is  most  often  through  the  gate  of 
the  Word.  It  will  be  found  also  that  the  exit 
from  the  court  of  special  Prayer,  if  exit  there  must 


156     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

be,  can  be  made  through  that  same  gate.  For  the 
soul,  having  enjoyed  the  precious  promise,  and  hav- 
ing thus  been  moved,  gives  itself  to  Prayer,  spends 
itself,  and  thereby  brings  a  reaction  of  weakness 
upon  itself. 

A  gentle  resting  of  the  Spirit  for  a  little  in  the 
sweetness  of  some  promise,  not  now  for  stimulation, 
but  rather  for  sustenance,  will  make  a  fitting  ending 
to  this  period  of  spiritual  exercise.  The  soul  will 
be  refreshed,  and  the  faith  will  receive  a  new  assur- 
ance. There  will  be  a  song  on  the  lips,  as  well  as 
in  the  heart,  and  a  quiet  resting  in  God  Who  has 
said  that  the  mind  that  is  stayed  on  Him  shall  be 
kept  in  perfect  peace  (Isa.  xxvi.  3).  Perchance, 
however,  there  may  be  no  need  of  such  sustenance. 
The  fragrance  of  the  stimulating  thought  has  out- 
lasted the  exercise  of  Prayer  and  continues  while 
even  the  feet  are  turned  into  the  paths  of  the  busy 
life  again. 

The  young  believer  is  apt  to  perplex  himself  be- 
cause after  Prayer  he  does  not  have  a  glorious  thrill. 
It  may  even  be  that  the  success  of  his  Prayer  is  that 
which  takes  from  the  keenness  of  the  feeling  in 
regard  to  it.     If  one  takes  a  piece  of  food  into  the 


EXPENDITURE  AND  RECOUPMENT    157 

mouth,  it  is  sweet  at  first,  but  after  a  time  it  becomes 
tasteless.  This  is  not  that  it  is  less  beneficial  to  the 
body,  but  that  the  process  of  assimilation  has  so  far 
proceeded. 

It  is  so  as  regards  Divine  truth.  A  truth  will 
come  home  with  the  beauty  of  youth  to  the  soul. 
It  will  sparkle,  it  will  fascinate,  it  will  be  full  of 
flavour.  The  soul  dwells  on  it  with  great  delight. 
There  comes  a  time,  however,  when  it  may  not  have 
the  same  pristine  sweetness.  This  is  not  necessarily 
because  the  truth  has  been  lost.  It  may  the  rather 
be  that  it  has  been  incorporated.  It  is  now  so  much 
one  with  him  who  is  partaking  of  it  that  the  joy  of 
incorporating  that  which  is  an  outside  factor  no 
longer  exists. 

Similar  is  the  experience  in  Prayer  when  a  great 
longing  takes  possession  of  the  heart.  Something 
desirable  is  prayed  for.  As  long  as  it  is  not  granted, 
the  heart  goes  out  in  eager  unsatisfied  longing. 
There  comes  a  time,  however,  when  the  expression 
of  desire  flags.  The  soul  endeavours  to  whip  up 
the  emotions.  It  cannot  arouse  itself  to  the  same 
urgent  thoughts  as  it  had  before.  It  becomes  intro- 
spective; it  wonders  if  it  has  broken  the  unity  with 


158     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

the  Saviour,  or  grieved  the  Holy  Spirit  in  His  great 
desires  and  purposes. 

May  it  not  often  be  that  the  prayer  has  been 
heard  and  the  answer  given?  May  it  not  be  that 
the  special  time  for  Prayer  has  now  come  to  an  end, 
and  the  special  time  for  action  has  begun?  For 
there  are  times  to  be  in  the  quiet,  and  there  are  times 
to  be  in  the  open,  times  to  speak  in  the  chamber, 
and  times  to  proclaim  from  the  housetop. 

The  soul  which  is  in  immediate  touch  with  the 
Spirit  of  God  will  not  endeavour  to  force  itself  to 
Prayer  if  the  Master  wishes  it  to  act.  The  essential 
thing  is  not  that  petition  should  be  made,  but  that 
the  inner  union  of  the  Divine  Spirit  with  the  human 
should  be  maintained,  and  that  absolute  control 
should  exist  without  break.  The  inner  life  will  find 
manifestation  in  the  outer,  and  the  believer  must 
ever  be  ready  to  watch  for  the  signs  of  the  Spirit 
when  He  calls  for  action. 

The  cultivation  of  the  inner  life  must  not  be 
regarded  as  the  end-all.  Even  this,  precious  as  it 
is,  must  be  held  in  obedience  to  Him  who  is  Lord 
both  of  the  inner  and  the  outer,  both  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  body.     Moses  retired  into  the  wilderness, 


EXPENDITURE  AND  RECOUPMENT    159 

and  there  cultivated  the  inner  Hfe.  But  God  wished 
something  more  from  him.  Because  he  knew  the 
power  of  the  inner,  God  required  him  to  be  a  leader 
in  the  outer  and  active  existence. 

It  is  well,  therefore,  not  to  be  downcast  because 
the  mood  of  the  mind  seems  to  change  in  regard 
to  the  exercise  of  Prayer.  It  should  make  us  all 
the  more  alert  to  know  what  the  Lord's  mind  is, 
and  to  endeavour  to  obey  that.  There  are  rich 
opportunities  at  every  turn  to  the  soul  that  comes 
into  line  with  the  holy  will  of  God,  and  has  learnt 
the  art  of  being  awake  to  His  delicate  leadings. 


MYSTICAL  PRAYER 


XIX 

MYSTICAL  PRAYER 

THE  mystics  are  regarded  by  men  of  our  day 
as  dreamers.  They  are  thought  of  as  non- 
practical  beings,  dwelHng  in  a  haze,  in  a  sort  of 
unearthly  mist.  There  are,  however,  many  things 
which  they  can  teach  us.  Our  temptation  to-day 
is  to  get  too  far  away  from  their  inner  exercises 
and  their  trend  of  worship. 

To  them  Prayer  was  largely  beneficial  because 
of  its  subjective  influence.  We  are  advised  by  some 
of  these  old  writers  to  dwell  on  the  Love  of  God, 
to  draw  in  our  wandering  thoughts,  concentrating 
them  on  Him  and  His  great  attributes.  The  heart 
may  be  sluggish  at  first,  but  afterwards  the  fire  will 
begin  to  burn.  It  will  be  a  sensible  effort  to  begin 
with,  but  afterwards  the  process  will  be  as  not  from 
ourselves,  but  as  from  a  fire  lit  within  us. 

This  applies  to  the  individual  exercise  of  Prayer 
— to  the  special  times  when  the  soul  withdraws  from 

163 


164     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

the  world.  It  may  also  apply  to  the  whole  course 
of  Prayer.  The  soul  which  seeks  God  at  first  seems 
to  find  a  difficulty  in  getting  into  His  presence  and 
remaining  there.  "Oh  that  I  knew  where  I  might 
find  Him"  (Job  xxiii.  3),  is  the  eager  utterance  of 
the  panting  spirit.  But  afterwards  there  seems  to 
be  a  bond  of  union  created.  The  soul  does  not 
search  for  her  Lord.  She  has  found  Him,  and  now 
she  abides  in  His  Love.  There  seems  but  little 
difficulty  in  maintaining  the  sweet  intercourse. 

Possibly  business  has  engrossed  the  attention.  It 
is,  however,  with  no  sense  of  rupture  that  the  spirit 
re-seeks  immediate  audience  with  the  Master.  The 
audience  is  granted  so  easily  and  readily  that  the 
soul  realizes  that  it  has  never  been  away  from  the 
Sacred  Presence.  There  comes  a  glad  sense  of  care- 
lessness or  perhaps  rather  non-carefulness.  The 
responsibilities  are  as  great  as  ever,  the  need  is  even 
more  poignantly  felt  than  before;  but  it  is  no  longer 
borne  apart.  The  issues  belong  unto  the  King,  and 
in  His  hands  all  will  be  well. 

A  developing  sense  of  unity  with  the  Lord,  and 
of  complete  absorption  in  His  will,  gives  to  the  soul 
that  rest  which  is  the  basis  of  all  true  activity.    This 


MYSTICAL  PRAYER  165 

rest  not  only  forms  the  foundation  for  new  ex- 
penditure of  power.  It  is  also  the  opportunity  for 
the  Lord  to  give  Himself  in  greater  measure  to  His 
servant.  For  effort  to  pray,  although  well  intended 
and  in  most  cases  necessary,  is  yet  of  a  lower  order. 
^'Perfect  love  casteth  out  fear"  (i  John  iv.  i8). 
He  that  is  made  perfect  in  love  knows  and  abides 
and  rejoices.  The  flow  of  prayer  comes  naturally. 
It  is  of  the  Lord.  It  is  subject  to  His  mind.  It 
flows  and  ebbs  with  the  tides  of  His  purposes. 

Unity  of  Aim.  Unity  of  Desire.  Unity  of  Heart. 
Unity  of  Action.  Unity  in  Suffering.  Unity  in  Joy. 
These  are  the  links  which  bind  the  Master  and  ser- 
vant together.  Prayer  becomes  a  flow  and  return 
of  desire  and  blessing,  of  instruction  and  reception, 
of  indication  of  will  and  immediate  response. 

When  this  blessed  state  comes,  whether  as  an 
isolated  experience,  or  as  one  which  lasts  over  a 
long  period,  it  is  well  for  the  soul  to  realize  its 
blessedness.  Not  only  is  there,  as  we  have  seen,  a 
cessation  of  heart  energy  and  desire  when  prayer 
has  been  granted,  but  a  great  calm  may  also  come 
from  out  the  unity  with  the  Master,  and  by  reason 
of   the  unbroken    fellowship   which   exists.     This 


166     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

should  not  be  interfered  with.  It  may  seem  a  blank. 
It  may  seem  as  if  the  life  were  not  so  fruitful. 

If,  however,  we  abide  in  Him,  the  promise  is  that 
we  shall  bear  much  fruit  (John  xv.  5).  How  this 
fruit  will  show  itself  we  know  not,  but  assuredly 
it  will  be  manifested.  It  can,  of  course,  only  mani- 
fest itself  as  it  has  ever  done.  For  now,  as  of  old, 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  Love,  Joy,  Peace,  Long- 
suffering,  Gentleness,  Goodness,  Faith,  Meekness, 
and  Self-control  (Gal.  v.  22). 

Prayer  is  twice  blessed  which  not  only  gains  its 
desire,  but,  in  gaining  it,  obtains  yet  more  conscious 
proof  of  the  great  and  blessed  unity  of  the  Lord  and 
the  believer. 


REASONS  FOR  NON-PRAYER 


XX 

REASONS  FOR  NON-PRAYER 

THE  grace  of  God  as  manifested  to  men  who 
are  in  rebellion  against  Him  fills  the  discern- 
ing heart  with  wonder.  It  is  of  such  outstanding 
merit  that  God  Himself  refers  to  it:  "God  com- 
mendeth  His  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were 
yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us"  (Rom.  v.  8). 

Yet  there  is  something  which  excites  the  wonder 
and  surprise  even  more  than  this  wondrous  grace 
of  God.  It  is  the  hardness  of  the  human  heart  which 
can  resist  its  offers.  There  are  two  great  outstand- 
ing facts :  the  outpouring  of  free  and  unmerited 
grace  towards  fallen  man  by  the  God  whom  men 
have  sinned  against:  and  the  stubborn  refusal  to 
accept  such  grace  on  the  part  of  so  many  of  these 
men.  Nothing  depicts  sin  in  its  true  colours  like 
this. 

"This  is  the  condemnation,  that  light  is  come  into 
the  world,  and  men  loved  darkness  rather  than  light, 

169 


170     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

because  their  deeds  were  evil"  (John  iii.  19).  "If 
I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them,  they  had  not 
had  sin :  but  now  they  have  no  cloke  for  their  sin" 
(ch.  XV.  22).  "If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the 
works  which  none  other  man  did,  they  had  not  had 
sin:  but  now  have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both 
Me  and  My  Father"  {v.  24). 

Similarly  are  there  a  wonder  and  a  contrasting 
wonder  in  regard  to  Prayer.  If  one-half  of  what 
we  have  been  discovering  about  Prayer  in  its  nature 
and  potentiality  be  true,  then  it  must  be  held  to  be 
one  of  the  most  powerful  agents  within  the  scope 
of  man's  domain.  If  it  were  a  thing  which  had 
never  been  spoken  of,  never  even  imagined,  and  then 
some  scientist  in  the  spiritual  realm  discovered  it 
and  hinted  at  its  nature  and  gave  a  suggestion  in 
outline  of  its  possibilities,  surely  a  spirit  of  inquiry 
would  be  created  in  thoughtful  circles. 

The  closest  analogy  in  the  natural  world  is  per- 
haps that  of  radium,  or  the  marvellous  properties 
of  the  ether.  These  have  now  been  taken  out  of  the 
domain  of  speculation,  and  harnessed  to  the  practical 
service  of  man,  and  they  form  the  subject  of  keen 
inquiry,  both  as  to  their  inherent  nature  and  as  to 


REASONS  FOR  NON-PRAYER  171 

their  adaptability  to  human  needs.  Some  of  the 
greatest  scientific  minds  are  devoting  themselves  to 
special  study  along  these  lines. 

Nov^  we  have  been  finding  that  Prayer  is  also 
one  of  the  great  possibilities,  and  that  results  can 
be  expected  from  it  which  will  be  marvellous,  as 
they  will  be  on  a  plane  of  a  higher  order  than  the 
natural.  Thus  we  have  something  potential  and 
wonderful  to  hand.  It  lies  at  the  call  of  every  man, 
it  awaits  utilization  by  rich  or  by  poor,  by  learned 
or  by  ignorant. 

Is  it  not  therefore  a  marvel  that  it  is  not  more 
put  to  the  test?  Is  it  not  strange  that  it  should  be 
allowed  to  lie  undeveloped?  There  must  be  some 
mighty  reason  or  reasons  for  this.  It  cannot  be 
that  it  is  mere  chance  whereby  such  a  mighty  weapon 
is  left  in  the  armoury,  instead  of  being  donned  and 
carried  out  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight. 

And  there  are  some  reasons  which  act  powerfully 
as  deterrents.    Two  are  most  conspicuous. 

The  basic  reason  is  that  there  exists  in  man  an 
evil  heart  of  unbelief.  When  excuses  have  been 
made,  and  everything  allowed  for,  it  will  be  found 
that  the  marrow  of  the  matter  is  that  the  heart  does 


m     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

not  believe  God.  Realize  this,  and  failure  in  Prayer 
is  seen  to  be  natural.  If  in  the  depths  of  our  hearts 
we  do  not  believe  in  the  promises  of  God,  and  in 
His  character  of  truth,  of  which  these  promises  are 
the  outward  declaration,  then  it  is  natural  for  us 
to  find  no  joy  in  Prayer,  and  to  be  weak  in  its  exer- 
cise. Granted,  however,  that  in  our  heart  of  hearts 
we  believe  God,  and  can  with  assurance  rest  on 
what  He  has  told  us,  then  we  shall  quietly  go  on 
praying,  assured  that  He  hears  and  will  answer. 

There  is  a  very  solemn  word  in  the  First  Epistle 
of  St.  John,  with  regard  to  those  who  reject  the 
Christ  of  God.  ''He  that  believeth  not  God  hath 
made  Him  a  liar ;  because  he  believeth  not  the  record 
that  God  gave  of  His  Son;"  and  a  little  further  on 
John  continues :  "This  is  the  confidence  that  we  have 
in  Him,  that,  if  we  ask  anything  according  to  His 
will.  He  heareth  us"  (i  John  v.  lo,  14). 

Believing  in  the  record  that  God  has  given  brings 
confidence.  Want  of  confidence  implies  that  there 
has  been  a  corresponding  want  of  acceptance  and 
belief.  The  heart  of  no  confidence  is  the  heart  which 
rejects.  The  heart  of  little  confidence  is  the  heart 
which  largely  rejects.     In  so  far  as  there  is  non- 


REASONS  FOR  NON-PRAYER  173 

appreciation  of  Prayer  and  non-expectancy  of 
answer,  there  is  the  sin  of  unbeHef  and  rejection  of 
the  Christ. 

It  is  no  Hght  thing,  this.  It  is  not  modified  in 
its  heinousness  because  it  is  so  common.  It  is  a  sin 
of  the  inner  man,  it  is  the  result  of  an  evil  heart 
of  unbelief. 

Our  want  of  Prayer  will  be  found  on  investigation 
to  arise  from  this  fundamental  cause,  that  our  hearts 
are  not  stayed  upon  God,  and  that  we  are  not  trust- 
ing His  declared  word.  If  we  are  not  praying  be- 
cause we  think  it  useless,  then  w^e  are  practically 
proclaiming  that  God  is  false,  and  His  word  is  not 
to  be  depended  on.  Prayer  is  a  natural  thing  to  the 
man  who  is  in  accord  with  God.  It  is  not  an 
assumed  characteristic,  requiring  great  effort  of  will. 
It  is  the  spontaneous  expression  of  the  attitude  of 
a  lesser  mind  and  heart  to  the  greater  Mind  and 
Heart.  It  is  as  natural  as  breathing.  And  therefore 
the  absence  of  Prayer  is  a  sure  sign  that  the  heart 
is  not  in  accord  with  God.  To  many  this  furnishes 
the  starting-point  in  the  Prayer-life — lowly  confes- 
sion of  guilt,  of  the  inward  alienation  from  God, 
of  a  heart  which  does  not  place  Him  on  the  throne. 


174     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

When  it  is  realized  that  non-prayer  denotes  a 
sinful  state  of  heart,  which  is  of  primary  signifi- 
cance, then  will  the  soul  be  glad  to  know  that  **Jesus, 
the  Saviour  from  sin,  will  most  assuredly  save  us 
from  this  sin,  and  guide  us  into  the  path  of  a  life 
in  daily  fellowship  with  God." 

"If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  .  .  .  and  to  cleanse  .  .  ."  (i  John  i.  9). 

A  secondary  reason  for  non-prayer  is  that  the 
average  Christian  does  not  comprehend  the  power 
which  is  in  Prayer,  nor  does  he  know  how  to  set 
about  praying.  It  is  quite  common  to  find  Christians 
possessed  with  only  a  very  hazy  idea  of  what  Prayer 
is,  and  what  it  can  reasonably  be  expected  to  accom- 
plish. Jesus  said :  "The  truth  shall  make  you  free" 
(John  viii.  32),  and  to  know  the  truth  in  regard  to 
Prayer  and  to  recognize  its  possibilities  is  at  least 
to  have  a  powerful  incentive  towards  it. 

It  is.  hoped  and  beHeved  that  the  analysis  of 
Prayer  in  the  foregoing  pages  will  serve  as  a  means 
of  illumination  to  many  who  before  were  perplexed. 
A  powerful  aid  in  this  matter  is  allowing  oneself  to 
be  led  into  understanding  of  Prayer  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.     Much  may  be  obtained  from  books,  and 


REASONS  FOR  NON-PRAYER         175 

direct  teaching  from  Bible  precepts  and  examples. 
Much  also  will  be  received  by  the  direct  gentle 
promptings  of  the  Spirit,  Who  will  lead  into  the 
truth  regarding  Prayer,  and  Who  gives  the  heart 
of  burning. 

As  has  been  said,  Prayer  and  the  spirit  of  prayer 
are  natural  to  the  man  in  accord  with  God.  Yet 
will  it  be  found  that  the  desire  for  Prayer  and  the 
practice  of  it  can  be  much  stimulated  by  taking 
thought.  Therefore  it  will  be  well  worth  while  to 
consider  how  best  to  proceed  that  we  may  become 
practical  men  in  this  great  business. 


IN  THE  WORKSHOP  OF  PRAYER 


XXI 

IN  THE  WORKSHOP  OF  PRAYER 

IT  is  a  vital  part  of  the  problem  that  we  should 
understand  what  part  Prayer  has  to  play  in 
God's  processes  and  operations.  Is  it  a  secondary 
part,  or  is  it  a  primary  one  ? 

We  know  what  was  the  view  current  in  most 
Christian  circles  till  quite  recently ;  the  view,  in  fact, 
that  holds  in  many  minds  to-day.  This  is  that  the 
real  work  of  the  Church  and  of  Jesus  Christ  is  done 
in  the  pulpit  and  on  the  platform,  in  the  class  and 
by  personal  influence.  This  is  the  real  work,  and 
Prayer  comes  in  as  supplemental  to  it.  It  is  granted 
that  it  is  much  better  if  this  real  work  has  an  intro- 
duction of  Prayer,  and  that  it  be  wound  up  by 
Prayer. 

Prayer  is  as  the  condiment  to  the  meat,  as  the 
polish  to  the  oak,  as  the  final  to  the  top  of  the  church 
spire.  It  gives  the  finish;  it  is  even  necessary;  it 
certainly  is  better  there  than  if  it  were  lacking.    But 

179 


180     THE  DYNAiMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

the  real  work  is  the  preaching  and  the  speaking,  the 
personal  influence,  and  the  activities  of  definite  serv- 
ice. This  is  the  conception  of  the  relative  values 
of  Prayer  and  work.  Prayer  is  recognized,  but  it 
is  given  a  secondary  place.  We  may  profitably  in- 
quire if  this  is  right. 

And  first  we  may  remark  that  it  is  natural  that 
it  should  be  so  considered.  For  the  work  that  is  in 
evidence  has  more  afiinity  with  the  material  than 
that  which  is  conducted  in  the  secret  chambers  of  the 
heart.  A  teacher  goes  every  Sunday  to  speak  to  his 
children.  Here  is  something  tangible.  He  knows 
that  he  has  to  forfeit  certain  leisure,  and  others  also 
recognize  this.  A  minister  goes  into  the  pulpit 
regularly,  and  delivers  his  sermon.  This  is  a  con- 
crete fact,  appealing  to  his  hearers  as  an  evidence  of 
work  undertaken  and  carried  through. 

Both  of  these  workers  may  spend  a  longer  time 
in  communion  with  God,  and  in  intercession  for 
their  scholars  and  hearers  than  they  do  in  the  study 
of  their  subjects,  or  in  its  composition.  Yet  that 
time  of  prayer  is  a  matter  unknown  save  in  its 
blessed  outcome.  They  have  gone  into  the  secret 
of  their  prayer-chamber,  into  the  recesses  of  their 


IN  THE  WORKSHOP  OF  PRAYER     181 

heart,  and  none  but  God  and  they  have  known.  It 
is  a  more  inward  thing,  it  is  an  act  which  withdraws 
itself  from  the  pubHc  gaze.  It  is  happy  in  the  fact 
of  its  own  accompHshment.  It  does  not  seek  to  be 
pubHshed.  And  so,  Hke  many  a  modest  person  of 
worth  and  value,  it  is  unnoticed  and  passed  by  while 
recognition  is  given  to  others. 

Prayer,  however,  though  hidden,  is  yet  work.  It 
is  hidden  work.  It  is  this  conception  that  we  have 
to  get  into  our  minds  and  hearts.  That  when  we 
get  to  Prayer  we  get  to  work.  That  there  can  be  a 
toiling  in  this  workshop  as  there  is  in  the  outer  one. 
That  there  is  a  call  to  sacrifice  here,  an  opportunity 
for  the  display  of  patience  and  perseverance,  and 
room  for  high  ideals  and  strenuous  endeavour. 
What  one  meets  with  in  the  outer  sphere,  one  can 
encounter  here.  Gethsemane  is  as  necessary  as 
Calvary.  Where  the  Lord  came  to  rest  is  as  neces- 
sary as  where  the  Lord  fulfilled  His  Father's  great 
purpose.  Paul's  prayers  for  his  beloved  Churches 
were  as  necessary  as  Paul's  Epistles  to  them. 

There  is  a  call  for  many  a  Christian  worker  to 
revise  his  estimate  of  the  values  of  spiritual  forces. 
Many  a  one  to-day  is  getting  thin  and  attenuated 


182     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

in  soul  because  he  is  spending  his  force,  and  not 
being  rebuilt.  He  speaks,  and  he  preaches,  and  he 
organizes,  but  it  all  comes  to  very  little.  It  will  be 
well  for  him  to  try  another  plan.  This  plan  is  to 
make  Prayer  his  chief  work. 

There  are  boys  in  the  class.  Much  teaching  has 
been  given,  little  clever  artifices  have  been  used  to 
gain  their  attention  and  their  interest.  Books  and 
tracts  have  been  presented  or  lent,  and  all  in  the 
hope  that  something  would  arrest.  And  Prayer? 
Why,  Prayer  of  course  has  not  been  forgotten. 
There  has  been  earnest  prayer  that  God  would  use 
these  means  to  bless  and  to  serve. 

Now  shall  not  a  new  way  be  tried  ?  It  is  the  old 
way,  but  the  emphasis  is  different.  Let  us  begin 
with  Prayer,  as  if  there  were  no  teaching  and  no 
organization.  There  are  the  boys.  *'0  God,  teach 
us  how  to  teach,  how  to  get  at  them,  how  to  intro- 
duce just  that  element  which  will  meet  the  need! 
Lord,  right  into  Thy  presence  we  come  with  these 
dear  lads.  We  and  they  together.  Our  interest, 
their  interest;  their  interest  ours.  Lord,  even  now, 
do  Thou  Thy  mighty  work." 

And  so  the  genesis  is  in  Prayer.    The  foundations 


IN  THE  WORKSHOP  OF  PRAYER     183 

are  laid  therein.  And  as  we  get  to  Prayer,  and  as 
each  boy  is  brought  and  prayed  over,  we  ourselves 
are  brought  into  Hne  with  the  purposes  of  God,  and 
the  whole  teaching  waits  on  the  gracious  influences 
of  the  Spirit  set  in  motion  by  our  prayers.  When 
we  teach  we  but  give  the  complement  to  the  work 
already  accomplished  in  the  secret  presence  of  the 
Lord. 

This  method,  of  course,  applies  to  preaching.  The 
minister  takes  his  flock  to  heart,  and  then  takes  them 
to  God.  He  then  takes  to  them  that  which  he  has 
received  from  God.  The  work  has  been  done  in 
his  study,  and  mainly  on  his  knees.  And  not  in 
preaching  only,  but  in  such  things  as  pastoral  visita- 
tion. The  heart  of  the  pastor  goes  out  to  those 
homes  which  he  intends  to  visit,  and  he  takes  God 
there.  Lo,  when  he  actually  visits,  God  is  waiting 
for  him  as  he  enters.  He  is  waiting  there,  but  He 
also  enters  with  His  servant,  and  the  visit  is  doubly 
blessed  both  to  people  and  pastor. 

The  art  is  to  learn  how  to  accomplish  life's  great 
purposes  in  the  presence  of  God,  how  to  solve  the 
problems  there,  and  then,  with  these  problems 
solved,  to  go  into  the  presence  of  men,  and  translate 


184     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

into  the  outer  what  already  exists  in  the  inner  and 
real  world.  In  the  workshop  of  Prayer,  the  great 
manufacture  is  carried  on,  outside  in  the  world's 
mart,  that  which  hath  been  made  is  merchanted  to 
men.  That  which  hath  been  spoken  in  the  chamber 
is  proclaimed  from  the  house  tops. 


THE  BURNING  HEART 


XXII 

THE  BURNING  HEART 

"  T^  yT  AN  looketh  on  the  outward  appearance,  but 
-L  ▼  J-  the  Lord  looketh  on  the  heart"  (i  Sam. 
xvi.  7).  Man  considers  the  expressional  form  of 
the  prayer,  God  looks  deep  and  sees  the  yearnings. 

''Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord;  and  He  shall  give 
thee  the  desires  of  thine  heart"  (Ps.  xxxvii.  4).  It 
is  the  state  of  mind  and  heart  that  God  heeds.  He 
hears  prayers  unuttered  when  the  heart  is  right.  He 
hears  nothing  when  the  prayer  is  words  only. 

It  is  thus  in  regard  to  the  Divine  life  in  a  man's 
soul.  Individual  acts  are  of  course  important,  but 
that  which  is  most  important  is  the  trend  of  the 
heart's  affections.  The  condition  of  a  man's  soul 
is  more  to  God  than  isolated  acts.  These  may  be 
manifestations  of  the  condition  but  the  latter  is  the 
important  factor.  Young  Christians  are  apt  to  be 
taken  up  more  by  their  individual  acts  and  failures 
or  successes.     "Make  the  tree  good,"  says  Jesus, 

187 


188     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

"and  the  fruit  shall  be  good"  (Matt.  xii.  33).  The 
general  state  of  spirit  is  the  index  of  the  power  to 
bear  fruit.  And  this  is  the  criterion  for  the  Prayer- 
life. 

Why,  when  a  man  receives  the  burning  heart, 
Prayer  becomes  both  a  necessity  and  a  delight !  He 
longs  to  get  into  the  presence  of  God.  All  life  takes 
its  value  from  that  standard.  Many  things  become 
shabby-looking  to  his  eyes;  for  they  are  really 
shabby  and  mean  when  viewed  on  the  plane  of  the 
ultimate.  Other  things  begin  to  delight,  for  their 
unfailing  inherent  worth  becomes  more  and  more 
manifest. 

As  the  heart  gets  deeper,  it  finds  that  it  not  only 
gets  its  desires  purified  so  that  the  Lord  can  readily 
grant  them,  but  it  finds  its  desires  becoming  centred 
in  one  great  desire — this  desire  of  the  Lord  Himself. 
"Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord."  The  heart  delights 
itself  in  Him,  and  as  the  feeble  love  begins  to  go 
upwards,  the  great  Heavenly  Love  must  respond. 
God  becomes  the  great  Desire  and  that  desire  is 
granted  in  ever  fuller  measure.  "God  is,  and  He 
is  the  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently  seek  Him" 
(Heb.  xi.  6).    This  is  what  the;  man  with  the  burn- 


THE  BURNING  HEART  189 

ing  heart  finds,  and  as  he  finds  it  he  counts  every- 
thing else  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord. 

And  thus  the  path  of  Prayer  becomes  an  alluring 
one.  There  is  Someone  Who  is  waiting  to  be  talked 
to,  Someone  wishing  to  whisper  the  sweet  words  of 
love  and  to  hear  the  returning  faltering  accents  of 
affection;  Someone  Who,  as  the  Lord  Jesus  did 
on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  opens  the  Scriptures,  talks 
of  life,  admits  to  the  secret  of  His  purpose,  and 
makes  the  heart  burn  still  further. 

For  there  is  no  end  to  this  burning  heart.  The 
soul  which  has  tasted  the  sweetness  of  communion 
pants  for  more.  If  the  voice  of  the  Loved  One  is 
not  heard,  there  is  a  mourning  and  a  searching. 
There  is  the  call  of  dependence.  There  is  the  cry 
for  yet  further  and  fuller  intimacy,  and  to  such 
cry  the  ear  of  the  Lord  is  never  heavy  nor  His  heart 
apathetic. 

The  flame  in  the  burning  heart  has  come  from 
God,  and  it  burns  up  the  hindrances  and  the  dis- 
abilities and  the  fears.  Love  calls  to  love,  and  that 
which  was  impossible  between  acquaintances,  on 
mere  talking  terms  one  with  the  other,   becomes 


190     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

habitual  between  those  who  are  knit  together  in  the 
bonds  of  closest  affection. 

And  thus  the  path  of  him  who  really  prays,  like 
that  of  the  just,  becomes  as  a  shining  light,  which 
shineth  more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day. 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  PRAYER 


XXIII 
THE  PRACTICE  OF  PRAYER 

IT  is  one  thing  to  desire,  it  is  another  to  possess. 
Yet  oft-times  desire  is  more  than  halfway 
towards  possession.  It  is  so  in  regard  to  Prayer. 
When  the  benefits  of  Prayer  come  home  to  the  heart, 
and  the  desire  is  created,  the  soul  is  not  far  from 
reaHzation  of  its  kingship  and  priesthood.  Were  the 
heart  captivated  with  the  possibilities,  it  would  find 
a  way  to  enter  into  possession  of  the  power.  It  is 
the  sluggishness  of  desire  which  keeps  back  from 
such  entrance. 

To  the  heart  truly  desirous  of  praying,  there  are 
two  great  things  to  do.  The  first  is  to  Ask,  and 
the  second  is  to  Pray. 

The  first  is  to  Ask,  and  by  that  is  meant  that  in 
this  particular  matter  direct  request  should  be  made. 
Too  many  people  try  to  attain  to  a  state  of  strength 
and  powder  by  resolution  and  strenuous  endeavour. 
Instead  of  this,  what  they  have  to  do  is  to  obtain 
it  from  God. 

193 


194     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

This  heart  of  prayer,  this  heart  on  fire,  is  a  gift 
of  God.  We  cannot  light  it  ourselves.  We  may 
see  the  beauty  of  it,  may  realize  what  it  could  accom- 
plish, may  understand  in  some  measure  what  loss 
its  absence  means,  and  yet  we  may  not  have  it.  Then 
usually  we  make  good  resolutions,  and  a  course  of 
action  is  resolved  on.  And  yet  the  blessing  tarries 
and  we  get  w^eary  and  forget,  until  another  reminder 
comes  and  again  we  set  out  in  the  quest. 

All  the  time  it  belongeth  unto  the  Lord.  It  is 
one  of  His  rare  gifts,  not  rare  in  scarceness  but  rare 
in  being  of  inestimable  worth.  And  as  such  we  must 
himibly  seek  it.  We  must  get  low  before  the  Lord, 
confess  the  great  unworthiness  of  our  hard  prayer- 
less  hearts,  and  ask  Him  graciously  to  give  us  the 
burning  heart,  the  heart  of  faith,  the  heart  of  quiet 
confidence,  the  heart  of  the  large  vision,  yea,  the 
very  heart  of  the  Lord  Himself.  And  He  will 
give  it. 

Prayer  is  a  definite  factor,  and  to  pray  for  the 
gift  of  Prayer  is  to  accentuate  the  element  of 
definiteness.  If  Prayer  for  prayer  be  not  answered, 
then  Prayer  for  aught  else  comes  under  suspicion. 
But  it  will  be  answered,  for  it  is  according  to  His 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  PRAYER         195 

holy  mind  and  will,  and  everything  so  asked  will 
be  given.  The  promise  here  stands  firm :  **Ask, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you"  (Luke  xi.  9).  Ask  for 
a  spirit  of  prayer,  seek  for  your  Beloved,  and  ye 
shall  find  Him;  knock  at  the  portals  of  His  great 
audience  chamber,  and  He  will  open  them  Himself, 
and  give  you  your  heart's  desire. 

But  besides  the  necessity  of  direct  asking  for  this 
blessing,  there  is  something  else  to  do.  That  is,  to 
Pray.  By  this  is  meant  to  give  oneself  to  Prayer. 
To  make  a  business  of  it.  To  go  on  praying  despite 
the  seeming  discouragements,  and  notwithstanding 
what  may  seem  to  the  soul  the  want  of  response 
from  the  Lord.  He  is  never  apathetic,  but  He  does 
not  give  away  His  best  gifts  unless  they  are  highly 
esteemed.  He  tests  us.  He  sees  if  this  is  really  what 
we  set  highest.  Do  we  consider  Him  and  His  fel- 
lowship and  what  He  can  give  in  the  way  of  power 
and  endowment  worth  all  else?  Do  we  '"esteem  the 
reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures 
in  Egypt"?  (Heb.  xi.  26). 

This  is  where  our  own  direct  action  comes  in. 
It  were  futile  to  endeavour  to  become  strong  men 
in  Prayer  simply  by  resolution  and  effort.    It  must 


196     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

be  the  gift  of  God.  He  must  of  His  grace  bestow 
the  trend  of  mind  and  heart.  But  on  our  part  we 
must  give  play  to  the  mighty  forces  He  waits  to  set 
in  motion.  We  must  turn  on  the  switch,  and  He 
will  see  to  the  power  and  the  light.  The  power 
and  light  often  do  not  come  into  operation  because 
we  omit  to  do  our  part  of  switching  on  the  current. 
And  the  great  thing  which  counts  in  this  turning  on 
of  the  current  is  simply  to  pray. 

A  subscriber  to  the  telephone  system  could  not 
understand  why  he  was  not  able  to  send  or  receive 
any  message  in  the  early  morning.  On  ordinary 
occasions  in  the  day-light  he  could  use  the  telephone 
all  right,  but  during  the  night  and  early  morning 
there  was  no  response.  He  communicated  with  the 
head-office  and  an  efficient  operative  was  sent  up. 
He  took  the  receiver  and  transmitter  to  pieces  and 
put  them  together  again,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
Again  was  complaint  made,  and  again  he  came  up. 
Then  at  last  the  responsible  foreman  of  the  depart- 
ment came  up  himself,  but  he  also  could  find  noth- 
ing. They  went  into  the  roof  space,  and  gradually 
tested  the  lengths  of  wire  until  they  began  to  locate 
the  fault.    And  at  last  they  found  it. 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  PRAYER         197 

It  was  a  place  where  the  wire  was  broken  in  two 
but  was  held  together  by  the  outer  covering.  The 
space  between  the  two  ends  of  the  wire  was  very 
small  but  it  was  sufficient  to  interrupt  the  current. 
When  the  heat  of  the  day  was  on,  the  wire  expanded 
and  the  two  ends  came  together  and  the  current  got 
through.  When  the  cold  of  the  night  came,  or  when 
a  day  was  extremely  cold,  the  wires  contracted  and 
contact  was  broken.  It  required  the  heat  to  bring 
the  ends  together. 

And  this  is  like  our  prayers.  Here  on  earth  our 
connection  with  Heaven  is  often  of  the  nature  of 
the  broken  wires.  It  is  one  of  the  joys  of  hope 
for  the  future  that  there  will  be  no  flaws  in  the  con- 
nection. Here,  however,  there  often  is.  We  cannot 
"get  through."  We  can  neither  send  our  messages 
to  God  nor  get  His  from  Him.  What  are  we  to  do  ? 
It  is  a  matter  of  heat.  It  is  a  matter  of  coming  into 
such  a  frame  of  mind  and  heart  that  the  communica- 
tion is  reopened.    And  to  do  this  we  must  pray. 

We  must  be  resolute.  We  must  wait  on  Him. 
We  must  not  take  ''No"  for  an  answer.  We  must 
deny  the  truth  of  appearances,  and  launch  out  on 
what  we  know  to  be  true,  viz.,  that  God  does  hear, 


198     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

that  His  ear  is  not  heavy,  that  no  sigh  or  wish  or 
aspiration  or  expression  of  ours  will  be  useless.  All 
are  precious  to  Him,  and  He  will  answer  them  in 
His  own  magnificent  manner. 

And  so  the  great  simple  rule  is  just  to  pray.  Pray, 
pray,  pray!  Keep  on  praying.  Stumble  along  as 
we  did  when  we  learnt  to  walk  as  children.  Push 
along  somehow,  as  we  did  when  we  first  learnt  to 
ride  a  bicycle.  Strike  out,  as  with  fear  we  did  when 
we  first  learnt  to  swim.  Keep  at  it,  with  resolution, 
with  purposeful  determination,  and  with  readiness 
to  sacrifice.  For  this  is  worth  putting  oneself  out 
for.  This  is  worth  getting  up  early  in  the  morning, 
so  that  we  may  see  the  face  of  God  before  we  see 
those  of  our  fellow-men.  This  is  worth  cutting 
out  of  our  reading  much  that  is  light  and  ephemeral, 
so  that  we  may  enter  into  the  presence  of  the  Un- 
seen. 

Here,  then,  are  the  two  great  secrets  of  successful 
Prayer — simple,  childlike,  humble,  believing,  asking 
for  the  grace;  and  resolute,  definite,  and  self-sacrific- 
ing movement  along  the  path  of  Prayer. 

Given  these  two,  and  more  will  follow. 

There  will  come,  to  some  more  than  to  others, 


THE  PRACTICE  OF  PRAYER         199 

a  developed  system  of  Prayer,  so  that  there  will  be 
no  longer  a  mere  jumble  of  ideas,  but  all  will  flow 
in  sweet  order.  The  mind  and  heart  will  also  be 
on  the  alert.  It  will  pick  up  guide-marks  from 
books  of  devotion.  It  will  eagerly  get  into  conversa- 
tion with  ripe  Christians,  and  find  how  they  com- 
port themselves  in  the  presence  of  their  Lord.  It 
will  study  the  record  of  the  Master  and  of  His 
apostles.  It  will  yield  itself  to  the  gentle  drawings 
of  the  Spirit,  and  learn  to  speak  the  Spirit  language 
correctly.  In  fine  it  will  discover  that  here  is  a 
department  of  philosophy  and  activity  both  captivat- 
ing and  ennobling. 

And  as  response  comes  in  the  personal  life,  and 
also  in  the  lives  of  those  prayed  for;  and  as  a 
deepening  sense  of  God's  presence  is  realized,  the 
heart  will  yield  itself  yet  more  and  more,  and  it  will 
find  its  true  home  in  His  presence.  Then  will  come 
the  great  yearning  for  the  time  when  it  shall  con- 
tinually abide  in  His  courts,  and  when  there  shall 
be  no  interruption  in  the  flow  of  its  communion  with 
Him.  For  thus  it  is  written:  "His  servants  shall 
serve  Him:  and  they  shall  see  His  face"  (Rev.  xxii. 
3.4). 


PRAYER  AND  FAITH 


XXIV 
PRAYER  AND  FAITH 

PRAYER  is  Faith  in  action. 
Faith  is  the  inner  heart  of  Prayer.  Faith 
is  a  conviction  of  the  reality  of  the  unseen.  The 
eternal  verities  are  the  environment  in  which  the 
man  of  faith  moves.  His  is  the  vision  of  the  in- 
visible. He  enters  into  communion  with  God.  That 
communion  is  Prayer.  Faith  in  activity  in  its  rela- 
tion to  God  resolves  itself  into  Prayer. 

Not  only,  however,  does  the  man  of  faith  come 
into  contact  with  God.  He  comes  into  other  con- 
tacts also.  Of  necessity  he  is  in  touch  with  his 
fellow-beings,  and  with  what  appertains  to  them. 
This  connection  becomes  a  hallowed  one,  for  the 
man  of  faith,  in  rising  into  the  presence  of  God, 
brings  his  fellow-beings  there  also.  By  Prayer  he 
lifts  them  on  to  the  plane  of  Divine  operations,  and 
by  Prayer  he  brings  down  God's  blessing  on  them. 

Prayer  and  Faith  are  essential  to  each  other. 
ao3 


204     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

On  the  one  hand  Faith  is  essential  to  Prayer. 

There  are  two  elements  in  Faith,  and  each  is  a 
necessity.  Faith  is  a  well-grounded  assurance  of 
that  for  which  we  hope.  Prayer,  in  its  character  of 
request,  demands  the  element  of  hope.  Let  hope 
fail,  and  Prayer  would  of  course  cease.  Faith,  being 
the  assurance  of  the  things  hoped  for,  has  both 
the  stimulating  effect  of  hope,  and  the  calm  derived 
from  the  factor  of  certainty.  Faith  is  also  a  convic- 
tion of  the  reality  of  the  unseen.  It  is  thus  an 
essential  in  regard  to  Prayer,  as  they  who  come  to 
God  must  believe  that  He  is.  Prayer  is  a  dealing 
with  the  unseen.  It  therefore  requires  Faith  to 
supply  conviction  in  regard  to  its  reality. 

On  the  other  hand  Prayer  is  essential  to  Faith. 
Faith  is  more  inward  than  Prayer.  It  comes  into 
the  region  of  activity  in  two  ways — through  Prayer 
and  Service.  The  proper  order  is  Faith  at  the  core, 
then  Prayer  as  an  intermediate  step,  and  then  Serv- 
ice as  the  outcome.  Faith  is  the  essential,  Prayer 
is  the  expressional,  and  Works  are  the  resultant. 

Might  we  not  reverently  draw  a  parallel  from 
the  manifested  operations  of  the  Majesty  of  the 
Godhead.      The   Father   is   the  great   Centre  and 


PRAYER  AND  FAITH  205 

Essence,  the  Son  is  the  Express  Image  and  Declara- 
tion of  the  Invisible  God,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
He  who  operates  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  men.  As 
the  Father  required  the  Son  to  Express  Him  in 
terms  of  humanity,  so  does  Faith  need  Prayer  to 
make  it  a  potent  force  in  men's  lives.  Prayer  be- 
comes the  link  which  unites  Faith  to  Works,  without 
which,  as  the  Apostle  James  tells  us.  Faith  is  dead. 

And  thus  both  Faith  and  Prayer  are  great  neces- 
sities in  the  life  lived  to  God.  Possibly  some  may 
find  that  it  is  through  the  absence  of  Faith  that  their 
prayers  fail.  They  lack  both  the  assurance  of  what 
they  hope  for,  and  also  the  conviction  of  the  reaHty 
of  what  they  cannot  see.  To  know  where  they  are 
faihng  may  bring  them  to  see  the  way  of  deliverance. 

But  it  were  wrong  if  the  realization  of  failure 
either  made  them  stop  praying  or  brought  them  into 
the  place  of  bondage.  For  the  search  after  Faith 
can  become  a  weary  and  profitless  one. 

As  the  soul,  when  first  seeking  Christ,  may  have 
gone  wearily  looking  and  searching  for  a  Faith 
which  would  bring  it  into  touch  with  the  Lord, 
so  now  the  believer's  heart  may  so  yearn  after  a 
fuller  Faith  that  it  will  endeavour  to  create  a  heart 


206     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

condition  that  may  ensure  the  blessing.  But  the 
heart  at  first  could  never  come  to  rest  in  the  fact 
of  its  Faith.  Lo,  the  vision  of  the  Christ  came,  and 
the  heart,  forgetting  itself,  and  beholding  only  the 
beauty  of  the  Lord,  was  filled  with  sweet  rest  in 
Him,  and  that  rest  was  Faith !  To  the  believer  like- 
wise the  entrance  into  the  life  of  Faith,  and  there- 
fore also  into  that  of  effective  Prayer,  is  through  the 
vision  and  the  fuller  knowledge  and  the  clearer 
comprehension  of  the  Lord  Himself. 

Now  it  is  just  here  that  Prayer  pays  back  the 
debt  it  owes  to  Faith,  and  proves  itself  to  be  a 
necessity  to  that  which  is  its  own  centre  and  vital 
essence.  For  when  the  soul  in  Prayer  gets  into  touch 
with  its  Lord,  when  the  thoughts  go  out  and  centre 
in  Him,  when  time  is  taken  so  that  He  can  impress 
Himself  on  the  waiting  heart,  then  Faith  arises  in 
its  strength,  the  vision  becomes  clear,  and  Prayer 
also  becomes  alert  and  effectual. 

And  as  the  intimacy  deepens  and  heart  speaks  to 
heart  and  finds  response,  the  action  and  interaction 
of  Faith  and  Prayer  are  such  that  the  one  is  blended 
in  the  other,  and  Faith  becomes  Prayer,  and  Prayer 
is  but  Faith  in  expression.    It  is  but  a  more  outward 


PRAYER  AND  FAITH  207 

semblance  of  that  inner  and  mysterious  unity  which 
takes  place  between  the  Lord  and  the  believer.  For 
the  Holy  One  bends  down  to  the  worshipper  and 
suppHant,  and  so  gives  Himself  to  His  servants, 
and  the  human  so  unreservedly  yields  himself  to  his 
Divine  Lord  that  the  creature  loses  himself  and  the 
fulness  is  of  God. 


ALL-PRAYER 


XXV 

ALL-PRAYER 

JAMES,  the  Practical  Apostle,  comes  to  the  root 
of  things  with  an  incisiveness  of  speech  very 
characteristic  of  him,  when  he  says:  "Ye  have  not, 
because  ye  ask  not"  (Jas.  iv.  2).  It  is  very  simple 
this.  It  becomes  a  little  more  complicated  as  he  pro- 
ceeds: **Ye  ask,  and  receive  not,  because  ye  ask 
amiss"  (v,  3).  The  latter  statement  brings  in  the 
question  of  prayers  expressed  but  unanswered,  be- 
cause of  their  unworthiness.  It  however  does  not 
nullify  the  preceding  proposition:  "Ye  have  not, 
because  ye  ask  not." 

Some  do  not  obtain,  because  their  motives  are 
wrong;  most  people  do  not  enter  into  possession, 
simply  because  they  do  not  ask.  The  great,  easily 
understood  and  fundamental  cause  of  the  non-recep- 
tion of  good  in  its  multifarious  aspects  is  that  it 
has  not  been  asked  for.     The  great,  easily-under- 

211 


gig     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALI^-PRAYER 

stood  and  fundamental  course  to  follow,  if  Good  in 
any  of  its  many  phases  is  desired,  is  to  ask  for  it. 

The  natural  heart  does  not  like  this.  As  James 
says:  **Ye  fight  and  war.''  Men  will  strive  and 
struggle.  They  will  injure  others  to  obtain  their 
ends.  But  this  better  way  of  obtaining  by  asking 
is  foreign  to  them.  *'Ye  fight  and  war,  yet  ye  have 
not,  because  ye  ask  not"  (Jas.  iv.  2). 

Prayer  is  not  content  to  be  an  occasional  thing. 
Tt  demands  that  it  shall  take  its  rightful  place  and 
title  of  "All-Prayer."  Into  every  department  of 
life,  in  every  exigency,  in  the  time  of  placid  peace, 
in  the  weariness  of  waging  war,  in  each  and  in  all. 
Prayer  claims  its  place.  It  refuses  to  be  regarded 
as  a  poor  relation  to  be  called  in  on  set  occasions, 
or  even  as  a  rich  relation  to  be  sent  for  when  need 
arises.  It  claims  to  be  one  of  the  family  who  shall 
identify  himself  continuously  with  hfe  as  it  is  lived 
in  its  multifarious  aspects. 

Is  there  a  buckling  on  of  truth  and  of  righteous- 
ness; of  peace  and  of  faith;  of  salvation  and  of  the 
Word?  Then  Prayer  also  is  to  come  into  the 
accoutrement;  it,  in  fact,  takes  a  special  place. 
* 'Praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  supplication 


ALL-PRAYER  gl8 

in  the  Spirit,  and  watching  thereunto  with  all  perse- 
verance and  supplication  for  all  saints,  and  for  me 
.  .  .  "  (Eph.  vi.  i8,  19). 

Here,  then,  is  something  which  speaks  with  the 
voice  of  authority,  and  which  we  dare  not  silence 
on  peril  of  our  highest  welfare.  Possibly  we  have 
hitherto  had  a  dreamy  idea  that  Prayer  was  desir- 
able. Now  we  awaken  to  find  that  it  is  imperative. 
We  dare  not  trifle  with  it.  It  is  not  a  question  to 
be  played  with.  If  we  desire  the  highest,  here  is 
the  road  which  leads  to  it.  Without  this  we  cannot 
attain.  Solemnly  and  earnestly  we  must  recognize 
that  in  everything  we  must  "by  prayer  and  suppli- 
cation make  our  requests  known";  that  as  regards 
time  we  must  "pray  without  ceasing"  (i  Thess.  v. 
17) ;  and  that  we  must  be  "praying  always  with  all 
prayer  and  supplication" ;  that  when  we  take  the 
world-view,  then  first  of  all  must  there  be  "prayers, 
intercessions,  and  giving  of  thanks  for  all  men" 
( I  Tim.  ii.  i ) ;  and  when  we  think  of  the  Church 
our  supplication  is  to  be  "for  all  saints." 

Is  there  care  about  ?  Then  Prayer  must  deal  with 
it  direct :  "Casting  all  your  care  upon  Him"  ( i  Pet. 
V.  7).    Are  we  proceeding  along  the  varied  paths  of 


214.     THE  DYNAMIC  OF  ALL-PRAYER 

life?  Then  Prayer  again  comes  in.  *Tn  ali  thy 
ways,  acknowledge  Him,  and  He  shall  direct  thy 
paths"   (Prov.  iii.  6). 

Further,  it  must  enter  into  the  hidden  life  of  the 
mind  and  claim  a  place  there.  ^'Commit  thy  works 
unto  the  Lord,  and  thy  thoughts  shall  be  established" 
(Prov.  xvi.  3). 

James  lifts  Prayer  up  as  the  great  refuge.  Is 
it  wisdom  we  lack?  We  must  **ask  of  God."  Is 
anyone  afflicted?  **Let  him  pray."  Is  any  sick? 
*'Let  there  be  the  prayer  of  faith."  This  from  the 
practical  apostle  is  exceedingly  noteworthy.  Evi- 
dently pure  religion  and  undefiled,  as  exemplified  in 
visiting  the  fatherless  and  widows,  and  the  works 
which  the  apostle  considered  as  necessary  to  show 
the  existence  of  faith,  required  as  a  foundation  this 
grace  and  habit  of  All-Prayer.  **Submit,"  he  calls 
out.  *'Draw  nigh  to  God."  *'Humble  yourselves  in 
the  sight  of  God."  And  these  are  all  part  and 
parcel  of  Prayer. 

Prayer,  therefore,  is  and  must  be  an  integral  part 
of  life.  People  may  smile,  and  shrug  their  shoulders, 
and  say  that  it  is  very  curious  how  some  men  seem 
to  live  without  Prayer  at  all,  and  that  therefore 


ALL-PRAYER  215 

surely  if  it  is  given  a  certain  play  in  the  activities 
it  is  all  that  can  be  expected.  But  this  is  to  ignore 
the  fact  that  many  people  in  God's  sight  are  ''dead 
while  they  live."  That  expression  is  used  in  refer- 
ence to  that  exact  phase  of  existence  which  the  world 
holds  up  as  "hfe."  *'She  that  liveth  in  pleasure  is 
dead  while  she  liveth"  (i  Tim.  v.  6). 

There  can  thus  be  apparent  life  when  in  reality 
death  holds  sway.  And  it  is  not  only  the  life  of 
pleasure  which  is  held  to  be  the  life  of  death,  it  is 
all  life  apart  from  God.  *T  am  come  that  they 
might  have  life"  (John  x.  lo),  said  the  Lord.  It 
is  this  life,  the  real  life,  the  only  true  and  abiding 
life,  which  demands  prayer  as  a  necessity.  A_nd 
therefore  the  scientific  postulate  can  be  made  that 
in  so  far  as  Prayer  does  not  enter  into  the  sphere 
of  thought  and  activity,  in  so  far  life  is  absent  in 
beneficial  operation.  Prayer  is  a  necessity  to  life. 
The  Christian  to  be  healthy  must  be  a  man  of  All- 
Prayer.  In  so  far  as  All-Prayer  is  absent,  in  so  far 
is  he  not  an  All-Christian. 


THE  LORD  JESUS  took  Peter 
and  John  and  James,  and  went 
up  into  a  mountain  to  pray. 
And  as  He  prayed,  the  fashion  of 
His  countenance  was  altered,  and 
His  raiment  was  white  and  glistering. 
And,  behold,  there  talked  with  Him 
two  men,  which  were  Moses  and 
Elias:  who  appeared  in  glory,  and 
spake  of  His  decease  which  He  should 
accomplish  at  Jerusalem. 
*         *         * 

And  He  came  out,  and  went,  as  He 
was  wont,  to  the  Mount  of  Olives; 
and  His  disciples  also  followed  Him. 
And  when  He  was  at  the  place,  He 
said  unto  them,  "Pray  that  ye  enter 
not  into  temptation."  And  He  was 
withdrawn  from  them  about  a  stone's 
cast,  and  kneeled  down,  and  prayed, 
saying,  "Father,  if  Thou  be  willing, 
remove  this  cup  from  Me:  neverthe- 
less not  My  will,  but  Thine,  be  done." 
And  there  appeared  an  angel  unto 
Him  from  heaven,  strengthening  Him. 
And  being  in  an  agony  He  prayed 
more  earnestly:  and  His  sweat  was  as 
it  were  great  drops  of  blood  falling 
down  to  the  ground. 

Luke  ix.  28-31;  xxii.  39-44. 


UNTO  Him  that  loved  us,  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
His  Own  BLOOD,  and  hath 
made  us  kings  and  priests  unto  God 
and  His  Father;  to  Him  be  glory  and 
dominion  for  ever  and  ever.    Amen. 

Behold,  He  cometh  with  clouds; 
and  every  eye  shall  see  Him,  and  they 
also  which  pierced  Him:  and  all  kin- 
dreds of  the  earth  shall  wail  because 
of  Him.     Even  so,  Amen. 


'SURELY  I   COME  QUICKLY.' 
AMEN. 

Even  so,  come,  LORD  JESUS. 

Rev.  i.  5-7;  xxii.  20. 


Date  Due 


m29- 


o^^>4mtm 


hm^tm 


Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01021   5921 


